SUPBI^SGI^IPHTION. 


'■■   SWEDENBORG,  HORACE    ( 

..WASHINGTON,  THOMAS- 

A.  LINCOLN..  o.   P.    MOR 

WILBERFORCE,  POLHEIM 

W.  L.   GARRISON,  A.   P.   WIL] 

'.  A.   GARFIELD.        ,        ^MARGARE 
MADAME  EHRENBORG, 
AND   OTHERS/ 


HORACE  ,  GREELEY, 
THOMAS- PAINE, 
O.   P.    MORTON, 
POLHEIM,  ;. 
A.   P.   WILLARD, 


With  the  Compliments  of 

C.  G.   HELLEBERG, 

177    AUBURN    STREET, 

~)  A      «  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  U.  S.  A. 


U  ^l^f    WouyyMJL^    Jltl^ 


;i»''T^      }^ 


iilillll"!!,  ;»!►'•!'<■ 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/bookwrittenbyspiOOhelliala 


BOOK 


WRITTEN   BY  THE 


SPIRITS  OF  THE  SO-CALLED  DEAD, 


WITH  THEIR  OWN  MATERIALIZED  HANDS,   BY  THE 
PROCESS  OF  INDEPENDENT  SLATE-WRITING, 

THROUGH 

MRS.  LIZZIE  S.  GREEN  AND  OTHERS, 

Ajs  m:ex)itjm:s. 


COMPILED  AND  ARRANGED  BY 

C.    <3r.    HELLEBEI^G^, 

OF  CINCINNATI,   OHIO. 


Life  is  real!  life  is  earnest! 

And  the  grave  is  not  its  goaL 
Dust  thou  art,  to  dust  rcturnest, 

Was  not  written  of  the  soul. 

—Longfellow, 


PUBLISHED  BY 
C.    G.   HELUEBEP 

AND     SOLO    AT 

4^!- EAST  THJRO  Sf 


CINCINNATI: 

1883. 


Copyrighted,  1882, 
By  C.  G.  HELLEBERG. 


library; 
o  f  chikersity  of  californl^ 

/  ^  (9 ;  SANTA  BARBARA 


CONTEJ^TS. 


CHAPTEK  I. 

PAGE 

Introduction  and  Biographical  Sketches  of  C.  G.  Helleberg, 
Madam  Fredrika  Ehrenborg,  and  Mrs.  Lizzie  T.  Green 1 

CHAPTEK  II. 
First  Investigations  with  Mrs.  Laura  Mosser  and  Mrs.  Cooper....       6 

CHAPTER  III. 

Bemarkable  Materialization  Seance — Letters  from  Mrs.  Erhen-. 
borg  describing  Inhabitants  of  other  Planets 14 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Madam  Ehrenborg  and  others  Materialize 23 

CHAPTER  V. 

Investigations  by  Mrs.  Jennie  McKee — First  Letter  from  Eman- 
uel Swedenborg  and  Communications  from  Polheim  and  others 
— Received  five  beautiful  Flowers  from  Madam  Ehrenborg 26 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Mrs.  McKee  passes  away  and  her  Spirit  arranges  her  own  Fu- 
neral   33 

(iii) 


iv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Investigations  with  Mrs.  Green — Remarkable  dark  Trumpet 
Seance,  at  which  I  received  a  most  beautiful  Flower  from  my 
Son  Emil  and  Miss  Mary  Muth. 3G 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Sure  Identity  of  my  Father-in-Law — Madam  Ehrenborg  writes 
to  me  in  Swedish 40 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Information  of  a  Spiritual  Marriage — The  Wedding  and  the  Wed- 
ding Tour  to  the  Planet  Mars 45 

CHAPTER  X. 

Description  of  the  Journej-  to  Mars,  and  wonderful  Information 
furnished  by  Madam  Ehrenborg 54 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Communications  from  Emanuel  Swedenborg 108 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Communications  from  George  Washington 141 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Communications  from  my  Son  Emil  about  Ex-President  Gar- 
field— Greetings  from  Madam  Ehrenborg — Letter  from  Rev. 
Goddard  and  Swedenborg's  Answer 157 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Communications  froni  President  Garfield,  Madam  Ehrenborg, 
Governor  J.  D.  Williams,  President  Abraham  Lincoln,  Judge 
Edmonds 1G.3 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER  XV. 

New  Years'  Greetings  from  many  of  my  dear  Spirit  Friends  and 

near  Eolations 170 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
A  Prayer  from  Madam  Ehrenborg 173 

CHAPTER  XVIT. 

Greeting  from  Horace  Greeley,  J.  G.  Bennett,  and  Henry  J.  Ray- 
mond to  F.  B.  Plimpton,  Associate  Editor  of  the  Cincinnati 
Daily  Commercial 176 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Communications  from  Horace  Greeley,  Governor  O.  P.  Morton, 
A.  P.  Willard 180 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Communications  from  the  Drunkard,  a  Miser,  William  Gailard, 
William  Lloyd  Garrison,  Wilberforce,  Tecumseh,  a  Suicide 187 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Communications  from  Thomas  Paine,  Margaret  Fuller,  and 
Thanks  of  Spirits 199 

CHAPTER  XXI— APPENDIX. 
Mrs.  Green's  Medial  History 204 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  Visit  to  Split  Rock,  Kentucky — Christmas  Greetings  from  Ida 
to  her  Parents — Annie  Winterburn  to  her  Brother,  John  Win- 
terburn,  and  his  Testimony,  and  her  Farewell  to  the  Medium, 
Mrs.  Green 222 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A  Spirit  peels  a  Banana,  eats  some  of  it,  and  divides  the  rest  in 
four  equal  parts  —Reports  of  Cincinnati  Enquirer  about  Spirit 
Seances  at  Mrs.  Green's 231 

CHAPTER  XXIY. 

Extracts  from  each  of  two  Funeral  Discourses  by  Bishop  Simp- 
son and  Rev.  W.  H.  Thomas,  D.D.,  with  Conclusions  of  C.  G. 
Helleberg , .., , 239 


,  ERRATA. 

I'age  3,  line  26,  for  most  communications,  read  most  of  the  coinmunications. 
•'   24,  line   7,  for  Mrs.  Stebbins,  read  Mr.  Stebbin.s. 
"    29,  line  18,  for  are,  read  is. 
•'    30,  line  27,  for  their,  read  his. 
•'    30,  line  28,  for  them,  read  him. 
"   34,  line   8,  for  was,  read  were. 
'•   35,  line   1,  for  this  is,  read  these  are. 
"   49,  line   2,  for  me  ami  my  wife,  read  my  wife  and  I. 
"   49,  line   7,  for  Edward,  read  Edwin. 
"    .M),  line  15,  for  Giithof,  read  Gustaf. 
"    .51,  line  26,  for  thy,  read  the. 
"    57,  line  10,  for  were,  read  was. 
"   ('>0,  line   6,  for  me,  read  us. 
'•   (50,  line  26,  for  a,  read  the. 
••   63,  line  21,  for  our,  read  the. 
•'    68,  line   8,  for  miscreant,  read  misdeeds. 
'•    ()9.  line   4,  for  Daniel,  read  David. 
"   69,  line  31,  for  laws,  read  love. 
"   71,  line  24,  for  nearly,  read  nearly  a  third. 
"    76,  line  30,  for  ever,  re;:d  ever  surging. 
"   77,  line    7,  for  of  more,  read  of  the  more. 
"   77,  line  30,  for  rivulet,  read  violent. 
"   80,  line  27,  for  of,  read  and. 
•'    82,  line  13,  for  formed,  read  former. 
"    83,  last  line  read,  and  out  of  the  ambient. 
"    84,  line  17,  for  then,  read  there. 
"   86,  line    1,  for  miglity,  read  weighty. 
"   88,  line  20,  omit  again  regained,  and  read  required. 
"    90,  line  14,  for  glory,  read  misery. 
"    91,  next  to  last  line"  for  when,  read  where. 
"   94,  line  16,  for  constitutional,  read  constituent.     ■ 
'■  100,  line  26,  for  beautiful,  read  beautifully'. 
"  101,  line   5,  for  originated,  read  originating. 
'•  105,  line  18,  for  you,  read  your. 
"  109,  last  line,  for  (juestion,  read  questioned. 
"  111,  line  18,  for  figures,  read  pigmies. 
"  115,  line  10,  for  needs,  read  needs  but. 
"  120,  line   6,  for  or,  read  are. 
"  121,  line  14,  for  early,  read  latter. 
"  133,  line  22,  for  unbeliefs,  read  erroneous  belief. 
"  136,  line  11,  for  hearsay,  read  lieresy. 
"  147,  line  28.  for  he.  read  the. 
':  157,  line  22,  for  with,  read  bv. 

"  165,  last  line,  for  you  thought,  read  your  tlioughts. 
"  164,  line  14,  for  nationalism,  read  rationalism,  etc. 
"  174,  line   4,  for  almighty,  read  mighty. 
"  173,  last  line  for  to,  read"  through. 
"  180,  line  24,  for  arises,  read  arise. 
"  183,  line   3,  for  pacified,  read  purified. 
"  184,  line  27,  for  subsequent,  read  consequent. 
"  187,  line  25,  for  trifling,  read  toiling. 
"  200,  line   5,  for  actuate,  read  actuates. 
"  200,  line  23,  for  adapting,  read  adopting. 
"  210,  line  30,  for  J.  &  J.  W.  Gaflf,  read  T.  &  J.  W.  Gaft". 
"  211,  line  14,  for  mission,  read  vision. 
"  211,  line  19,  for  literary,  read  literally. 

"  221.  line  next  to  bottom,  for  assimilation,  read  dissemination. 
"  231,  line   2,  for  bonana,  read  banana. 
"  240,  line  21,  for  of,  read  to. 


SPIRIT  COMMUISTCATIONS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTION, 


The  communications  in  this  little  volume,  purport- 
ing to  come  from  disembodied  spirits,  came  in  the 
manner  hereinafter  stated,  and  all  that  I  had  to  do 
with  them  was  to  faithfully  and  to  the  letter  tran- 
scribe them  from  the  slate  on  which  they  were  writ- 
ten into  blank  memorandum  books  which  I  procured 
for  the  purpose.  Before  laying  before  the  reader  the 
modus  operandi  of  their  delivery,  I  deem  it  proper  that 
I  should  give  a  brief  outline  of  my  own  history,  es- 
pecially do  I  feel  the  importance  of  this  since  I  am 
little  known  outside  of  the  circle  of  my  immediate 
acquaintances.  It*has  always  been  my  aim  in  life  to 
live  uprightly  before  God  and  man,  and  as  to  the  suc- 
cess of  this  noble  purpose,  formed  in  early  life,  I  may 
confidently  refer  to  my  neighbors,  and  many  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  with  whom  I 
have  enjoj'-ed  an  intimate  social  and  business  acquaint- 
ance for  nearly  forty  years.  I  do  not  know  why  I 
should  have  been  made  the  recipient  and  custodian 
of  the  truly  remarkable  spirit  communications  con- 
tained in  the  folloAving  pages,  except  from  a  long 
lifetime  of  honest  endeavor  to  do  right  I  was  deemed 
worthy,  and  from  the  additional  consideration  that  the 

a) 


2  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

spirits  interested  in  the  work  knew  I  would  cordially 
co-operate  with  them  in  laying  the  matter  presented 
before  the  world,  and  that,  happily,  I  possessed  the 
pecuniary  means  to  do  so. 

I  was  horn  at  Grafriset,  near  Fahlun,  in  the  king- 
dom of  Sweden,  March  1,  1811,  and  have  now  passed 
my  seventy-first  year.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  I  entered 
the  Swedish  army,  and  at  nineteen  became  a  student 
at  Upsala  University,  where  I  remained  for  two  years. 
After  rendering  military  service  for  five  years,  and 
passing  a  successful  examination,  I  was  permitted  to 
enter  the  civil  service  of  my  country.  In  the  capacity 
of  land  surveyor  I  served  for  over  ten  years,  when  a 
desire  to  personally  witness  the  workings  of  ^pub- 
lican institutions  induced  me  to  make  an  application 
to  travel  in  foreign  countries,  which  permission  I  ob- 
tained for  the  period  of  two  years.  In  1844  I  left  my 
native  land  for  the  United  States,  and  in  1845  located 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  soon  thereafter  engaged  in 
the  art  of  daguerreotyping,  and  afterwards  photo- 
graphing, and  in  the  following  year  married  Miss 
Annie  E.  Franks,  daughter  of  Frederick  Franks,  a 
leading  and  influential  citizen  of  the  city,  who  is  still 
remembered  as  the  proprietor  of  Cincinnati's  early 
famous  museum.  In  religion  I  was  raised  a  Lutheran, 
but  at  the  time  (1879)  of  embracing  spiritualism  and 
for  thirty  years  preceding  I  was  a  devout  and  earnest 
Swedenborgian.  I  commenced  the  investigation  of 
spiritual  phenomena  in  1879,  and  soon  became  con- 
vinced of  the  sublime  truths  of  the  spiritual  philos- 
ophy. 

As  in  the  following  pages  the  exalted  spirit  of 
Madam  Fredrika  Ehrenborg  imparts,  among  other 


INTRODUCTION.  8 

things,  marvelous  information  in  regard  to  the  Planet 
Mars,  of  our  solar  system,  it  is  deemed  fitting  that 
somewhat  of  her  history  should  be  made  known  in 
this  connection : 

She  was  horn  March  15,  1794,  in  the  Province  of 
Wermland,  in  the  kingdom  of  Sweden,  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  married  a  highly  esteemed  noble- 
man, Casper  Isac  Michael  Ehrenborg.  He  left  the 
body  in  1823,  and  was  at  the  time  Chief  Justice  of 
Sweden.  Madam  Ehrenborg  was  an  enthusiastic 
Swedenborgian,  and  she  passed  to  the  higher  life  in 
the  Swedish  city  of  Linkoping  on  the  20th  of  May, 
1873.  Her  life  in  many  respects  was  an  eventful  one, 
and  largely  devoted  to  literary  pursuits.  She  trans- 
lated writings  on  religious  subjects  from  several  lan- 
guages into  Swedish,  and  wrote  books  and  pamphlets 
in  the  interest  of  Swedenborgianism,  and  visited  Eng- 
land, Switzerland,  Denmark,  Germany  and  France 
in  search  of  materials  for  her  works.  It  was  not  my 
good  fortune  to  have  met  this  eminent  lady  during 
her  mortal  life,  but  I  happily  enjoyed  a  truly  instruc- 
tive and  pleasant  correspondence  with  her  during  the 
last  three  years  of  her  life  in  the  form. 

I  commenced  my  investigations  in  September,  1881, 
with  the  celebrated  medium  Mrs.  Lizzie  S.  Green, 
through  whose  mediumship  the  most  communications 
to  follow  were  written.  For  ten  months  I  had  never 
less  than  two  sittings  a  week,  and  the  largest  portion 
of  that  time  four  per  week,  and  have  had  ample  op- 
portunities to  study  her  true  character.  As  the  re- 
sult I  am  justified  by  the  truth  in  proclaiming  to  the 
world  my  thorough  conviction  of  her  honesty,  purity 
and  simplicity  of  character.     Her  education,  as  I  have 


4  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

been  informed,  was  sadly  neglected  in  youth,  and  she 
has  had  few  opportunities  to  improve  in  later  years. 
She  married  the  Hon.  Edward  II.  Green,  of  Aurora, 
Indiana,  before  her  eighteenth  year,  and  has  devoted 
her  succeeding  years  until  recently  to  the  domestic 
duties  of  life  and  to  the  raising  of  a  family,  of  whom 
only  one,  a  daughter,  survives.  Her  husband  served 
with  ability  a  numerous  and  intelligent  constituency 
in  the  Indiana  legislature  of  1866-7,  and  served  re- 
cently and  to  general  acceptance  two  terms  of  two 
years  each  as  Mayor  of  Aurora,  Indiana,  his  native 
city. 

The  communications  of  spirits  contained  in  this 
volume  were  written  by  the  spirits  with  their  own 
materialized  hands,  and  the  process  was  generally  as 
follows:  A  small  stand  of  the  ordinary  kind  in  con- 
struction, covered  by  a  table  cloth,  was  used,  the  me- 
dium placing  with  one  hand  under  the  covering  of 
the  stand  a  slate  on  which  was  placed  a  small  piece 
of  pencil.  The  other  hand  of  the  medium  was  con- 
tinually exposed  to  full  view,  as  was  also  her  entire 
form.  Both  double  and  single  slates  were  used.  We 
heard  the  writing  as  it  progressed,  and  when  the 
slate  was  filled  it  would  be  indicated  by  distinct  taps 
on  the  slate  and  the  dropping  of  the  pencil.  The 
slate  would  be  then  taken  out,  and  as  the  chosen 
scribe  I  would  faithfully  transcribe  the  written  mat- 
ter into  the  book  aforementioned,  and  the  slate  would 
then  be  cleaned  and  returned  under  the  stand,  and  in 
this  manner  all  the  matter  hereinafter  set  forth  was 
produced.  I  have  reported  it  verbatim  et  literatim, 
without  changing  it  in  the  slightest  degree,  neither 
adding  nor  taking  therefrom  a  single  word.     Each 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

silting  would  occupy  from  one  to  two  hours,  and  in 
broad  daylight.  I  have  taken  occasion  to  preface 
some  of  these  communications  with  a  few  lines,  by 
way  of  explanation  and  to  secure  clearness  of  under- 
standing in  relation  to  them. 

This  volume  is  truly  a  book  written  by  the  spirits 
themselves,  and  whatever  merit  it  may  possess,  they 
alone  are  entitled  to  the  credit,  and  whatever  of  de- 
merit, if  any,  they  alone  are  chargeable  and  respon- 
sible. Of  one  thing  both  the  mediums  and  myself  can 
truly  avouch,  and  are  willing  to  solemnize  with  our 
oaths,  namely,  that  we  had  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  the  production  of  the  communications  except 
80  far  as  we  may  have  aided  the  communicating  in- 
telligences by  furnishing  them  with  the  necessary  and 
required  conditions. 

I  launch  forth  the  work  not,  however,  without 
misgivings  as  to  its  reception  and  fate  in  this  age  of 
incredulity  and  skepticism,  and  my  only  hope  is  that 
it  may  be  instrumental  in  doing  good,  if  but  only  in 
a  feeble  degree,  which  alone  will  be  ample  compensa- 
tion for  my  time  and  labor. 

Carl  Gustaf  Helleberq. 

177  Auburn  street,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

My  investigations  of  spiritualism  commenced  with 
the  excellent  medium,  Mrs,  Laura  Mosser,  now  Mrs. 
Carter,  through  whose  mediumship  I  had  the  first 
slate-writing,  August  31,  1879,  at  her  residence,  Ko. 
253  Laurel  street,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  my  spirit 
friend,  William  Gailard,  and  my  dear  son  Emil.  My 
truth-loving  friend,  Mr.  S.  G.  Anderson,  at  my  re- 
quest, introduced  me  to  Mrs.  Mosser,  at  her  residence, 
where  we  both  on  a  clear  Sunday  morning,  after  we 
had  some  communications  between  a  double  slate 
from  Mr.  Gailard  and  my  son,  saw  a  spirit  hand  be- 
tween us,  into  which  Mr.  Anderson  put  his  handker- 
chief, which  was  taken  under  the  stand,  and  after- 
wards came  out  tied  in  three  knots.  It  was  written 
on  the  slate  at  the  same  time  that  Mr.  Anderson's 
two  sisters  and  his  brother  John,  who  all  many  years 
ago  had  passed  away  in  Sweden,  each  of  them  had 
tied  a  knot.  During  this  occurrence  we  had  Mrs. 
Mosser  in  full  view,  who  was  rocking  in  a  rocking 
chair,  and  the  only  part  hidden  was  her  right  hand 
when  it  held,  the  slate  under  the  small  stand.  From 
this  remarkable  result  I  concluded  to  go  on  with  the 
investigation,  and  had  many  interesting  communica- 
tions, mostly  concerning  family  relations,  until  the 
8th  of  December,  1880,  when  I  became  acquainted 
with  that  most  respectable  lady,  Mrs.  Annie  Cooper, 
who  is  a  true  and  honest  medium.  Through  her  gifts 
I  had  many  wonderful  manifestations,  consisting  of 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  7 

slate-writings  and  materializations,  etc.  I  will  men- 
tion only  a  few.  On  the  11th  May,  1881,  among  other 
things  which  appeared  on  the  slate  was  the  following : 
"  Good  morning,  my  dear  friend.  Across  the  deep 
I  have  communicated  to  you.  With  great  pleasure  I 
accept  the  opportunity  of  still  doing  so.  I  am  anx- 
ious that  all  I  hold  dear  should  understand  this  phe- 
nomenon. Hope  lingers  around  me  that  I  shall  be 
able  to  make  myself  known  as  if  on  earth.  One  thing  I 
thank  you  for,  the  kind  appreciation  of  a  small  tribute 
of  friendship  I  tried  to  bestow.  Every  day  since  I  came 
here  I  have  learned  something.  Knowledge  is  not  stop- 
ped by  the  change.  My  friend,  many  persons  think  that 
when  the  change  called  death  comes  and  the  spirit  is 
released  from  the  body,  it  becomes  perfect  at  once. 
That  is  a  mistake ;  we  come  out  of  the  earthly  body 
with  all  the  propensities  which  actuate  us  while  in  it, 
and  we  come  out  of  them  only  as  we  are  educated  and 
progress.  Oh,  dear  friend,  I  can  see  now  that  there 
are  many  human  beings  dazed  at  the  wiles  of  mis- 
takes made  by  early  education,  instead  of  looking  up 
to  something  higher  and  brighter.  Yes,  man  still  asks, 
with  prayerful  heart,  what  are  his  wants  to  be  in  the 
future  ?  and  why  was  he  born  ?  and  why  does  he  die? 
Oh,  why  does  man  mourn  over  a  law  that  was  or- 
dained for  the  benefit  of  all  mankind  ?  Why  tears 
fall  when  he  stands  where  the  form  of  some  loved 
one  is  laid  ?  Is  hope  gone  ?  Yes,  because  they  know 
not  where  they  are  gone  and  what  they  are  now.  No 
one  should  mourn  at  death,  for  death  is  as  legitimate 
as  birth.  Yes,  no  science,  with  all  its  bright  knowl- 
edge, has  been  able  to  peuetrate  this  system  or  sphere 
peopled  by  those  who  once  dwelt  as  you  do  now.    Oh, 


8  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

if  suiFering  humanity  could  realize  these  beautiful 
truths,  it  would  remove  every  doubt  and  dispel  every 
fear  that  death  transports  man  far  away  from  earthly 
loved  ones.  My  dear  friend,  to  you  this  knowledge 
has  been  like  a  gentle  zephyr  that  cools  the  cheeks  on 
a  warm  summer  evening.  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to 
see  you  in  possession  of  these  noble  sentiments.  Let 
eternal  progression  be  engraved  on  your  banner  and 
you  will  soar  far  above  doubt  and  mystery,  that  sur- 
round so  many  in  earth  life.  Man  no  longer  bows 
to  an  angry  God,  nor  needs  a  mediator  to  propitiate 
him.  I  am  so  happy  to  be  able  now  to  enjoy  and 
fully  realize  what  I  believed  to  be  true,  with  but  lit- 
tle besides  my  own  evidence  and  knowledge  to  con- 
vince me  that  it  was  a  truth.  I  have  been  reproved 
even  for  an  acknowledgment,  but  all  do  not  under- 
stand alike.  I  was  fully  assured  before  my  spirit  left 
the  physical  habitation  for  spiritual  inheritance  that 
I  was  surrounded  by  angels,  kind  and  loving,  guard- 
ing and  guiding  me  to  a  higher  and  better  life.  I 
passed  through  as  if  in  a  gentle  slumber,  awakening  to 
meet  many  bright  faces,  yes,  too  many  to  number, 
that  had  gone  before  and  landed  safely  on  the  bright, 
celestial  shore.  Earthly  views  can  not  comprehend 
heavenly  joys.  Oh,  think  of  it,  my  friend,  to  meet 
those  to  whom  you  are  bound  to  by  the  ties  of  nature 
in  early  affection,  never,  never  to  part  again,  but  to 
dwell  in  the  light  of  a  harmonious  atmosphere  of  love, 
surrounded  by  angels  and  music  from  the  bright 
realms  above.  There  is  no  end  to  life,  the  spirit  is 
eternal,  and  as  we  travel  onward  we  can  look  upward 
in  hope,  for  there  is  always  something  above.  I  will 
be  able  to  communicate  to  you  on  diiFerent  subjects 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  9 

the  next  interview.  Give  my  love  to  your  dear  lady. 
I  will  now  call  on  her,  and  we  will  yet  meet,  but  not 
as  strangers.  In  the  language  of  flowers,  we  remem- 
ber in  the  sweet  forget  me  not.*  Adieu  for  the  pres- 
ent.    Your  most  sincere  friend, 

"  Fredrika  Ehrenborg." 

This  was  the  iirst  communication  between  the 
double  slate  from  Madam  Ehrenborg,  and  on  the  19th 
of  May  she  gave  another  one,  as  follows : 

'•  Good  morning,  my  dear  friend.  In  love  and  jus- 
tice for  your  kindness  I  come  this  morning.  I  feel 
like  writing  on  that  subject,  justice,  for  it  enters  into 
the  divine  unfolding  of  eternity.  Millions  stand  at 
the  bar  of  the  great  tribune  waiting  to  hear  their  sen- 
tence pronounced.  Justice  enters  into  the  majesty  of 
universal  law.  What  generation  can  gather  it  and 
hold  it  in  their  embrace?  Yes,  justice  is  the  univer- 
sal law,  that  no  age,  no  nation  can  control  or  hold  in 
subjection.  When  they  have  gained  one  step  in  the 
right  direction  they  may  then  think  they  have  gained 
it  all,  but  as  we  ascend  the  steps  to  that  mighty  throne 
of  infinity  we  see  justice  beyond  the  ken  of  hundreds 
of  humanity  that  have  passed  away.  Justice  is  so 
unlimited  we  can  compass  only  a  part  of  it,  according 
to  the  knowledge  we  possess,  and  have  cultivated  the 
principal  subject  of  the  development.  No  people  or 
nation  can  make  laws  to  govern  any  other  nation  or 
people  who  can  succeed  them  or  figure  on  this  planet. 
What  can  finite  man  do  to  control  the  Infinite  ?  Can, 
he  gather  and  control  the  winds  and  the  seasons  as 

*This  has  reference. (o  forget-me-not  seeds  which  she  sent  rae  frorn 
Sweden. 


10  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

they  come  and  go  with  all  their  powerful  influ- 
ences on  the  globe?  No  ;  neither  can  he  gather  and 
control  the  developments  of  minds,  or  subject  them 
to  any  law  that  he  may  enact.  History  records  the 
rise  and  fall  of  empires;  behold,  they  have  all  passed 
away  ;  each  gives  place  to  another  form  of  govern- 
ment, better  adapted  to  the  wants  and  conditions  of 
the  then  existing  humanity.  Dear  friend,  the  heav- 
enly trees  are  filled  with  divine  fruit,  whose  beauty 
is  reflected  to  earth.  Ti"uth  is  mightier  than  man, 
sharper  than  a  two-edged  sword,  and  it  will  mow 
down  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of  progress.  The 
spirit  world  is  united  in  trying  to  lav  the  corner-stone 
of  a  temple  so  large  that  it  will  contain  the  whole 
human  family.  Oh,  how  grand  when  all  can  oifer 
up  the  highest  tribute  of  love  to  the  divine  unfold- 
ing spirit,  and  receive  the  sacred  knowledge  and  love 
which  shall  bring  humanity  together  in  peace  and 
harmony,  then  in  truth  all  will  be  free.  It  gives  me 
renewed  strength  to  see  the  new  and  beautiful  ideas 
floating  about,  spirit  messengers  w^afted  to  earth,  blend- 
ing with  man,  woman  and  child  as  they  go  forth 
clearing  the  pathway  to  their  eternal  home,  where  all 
is  love  and  harmony.  The  light  of  this  beautiful 
truth  is  fast  dawning,  and  suffering  mortals  will 
awake  in  joy  to  the  light  of  it,  and  be  crowned  in  the 
glory  of  the  morning.  It  is  not  hard  for  spirits  to 
communicate  with  friends  on  earth,  but  often  difficult 
to  have  conditions.  Man  must  have  some  spirituality 
^in  his  soul  before  he  can  realize  the  truth  that  his 
loved  ones  are  waiting,  willing  to  help  him  upwards 
as  they  stand  on  the  bright,  celestial  shore.  Dear 
friend,  I  am  sure  I  am  gaining  power,  and  would  be 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  11 

able  to  say  a  great  deal  in  a  short  time  through  this 
medium  if  no  change  of  conditions  come.  I  hope  to 
help  you  to  do  what  you  so  much  desire.  I  can  go 
to  my  dear  friends  across  the  water  and  help  you  by 
impressing  them  that  all  is  true.  Now  I  must  Avith- 
draw,  but  will  be  very  happy  to  come  again  to  you, 
and  give  you  all  the  knowledge  I  can.  I  am  glad  to 
see  you  so  interested  in  learning  what  can  only  be 
taught  by  those  who  have  passed  the  sands  of  earth 
life,  and  are  happy  exploring  the  unexplored  field  of 
life  beyond.  Good  by,  go  on,  fear  not,  the  course  you 
pursue  is  right.     Your  true  friend  in  spirit  life, 

"  Fredrika  Ehrexborg." 

On  the  24th  of  May,  from  9  to  12  a.  m.,  the  same 
highly  esteemed  spirit  friend  wrote  on  the  slate : 

"  Good  morning,  my  dear  friend.  I  greet  you  this 
morning,  united  with  so  many  of  your  loved  ones. 
Your  beautiful  mother  says  it  would  not  be  heaven 
if  we  were,  shut  out  from  the  knowledge  of  our  friends 
in  the  form.  No,  it  could  not  be  heaven  if  it  made 
us  selfish.  I  am  glad  you  have  reached  that  part  of 
life  and  find  bright  rays  daily.  Freedom  brings  its 
own  reward,  and  the  light  that  has  been  given  to  you 
will  enable  you  to  have  yours  while  life  lasts.  You 
will  never  be  bereft  of  friends  on  this  shore.  You 
will  have  them  in  both  spheres.  Is  it  not  grand  to  be 
able  to  understand,  and  even  more,  to  appreciate,  this 
knowledge?  Light  is  pouring  in,  and  the  minds  of 
men  are  becoming  more  active  every  day.  Mankind 
are  like  hungry  children  who  want  food;  yes,  so  great 
do  they  crave  the  knowledge  of  the  immortality  that 
it  will  take  firm  reasoning  and  true  workers  to  sup- 


12  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

ply  them.  We  rejoice,  for  we  are  sure  that  progress 
is  rapid.  Earth  friends  often  wonder  what  spirits 
find  to  do.  If  they  could  realize  even  half  the  won- 
derful work  that  is  going  on,  they  would  be  aston- 
ished that  spirits  had  accomplished  so  much  for  the 
welfare  of  humanity.  I  am  so  happy  my  soul  expands 
in  love.  I  feel  I  am  young,  and  I  am,  for  I  am  born 
again.  I  am  contented  to  have  struggled  so  many 
years  in  earth  life,  for  it  has  brought  me  grand  reward. 
All  trials  are  worth  the  privilege  and  pleasure  we  en- 
joy when  we  reach  our  spirit  home.  I  can  see  now 
that  it  is  no  hiding-place  in  man's  true  nature,  and  if 
they  are  not  learned  upon  the  terrestrial  planet,  they 
will  have  to  learn  before  they  can  become  celestial 
angels.  Selfishness  is  cold  and  freezing,  love  is  genial 
and  warms  up  the  human  soul,  and  thereby  will  pro- 
mote its  happiness.  Let  love  be  cultivated  by  man, 
for  it  is  a  favorite  flower,  the  flower  of  life  and  the 
beauty  of  the  soul,  and  by  it  humanity  is  renewed 
contili  ually  and  brought  to  the  newness  of  life's  beauty, 
truth,  beauty  and  higher  spheres  of  eternal  existence, 
and  without  it  man  can  never  understand  or  have  any 
conception  of  his  heavenly  home.  Oh,  if  love  were 
the  ruling  influence,  sorrow  would  be  hard  to  find, 
heart  aches  would  be  nowhere  felt.  An  early  writer 
said :  '  If  you  can  not  love  him  whom  you  have  seen, 
how  can  you  love  them  whom  you  have  not  seen  and 
be  beloved  in  return  ? '  In  loving  one  another  we 
love  Grod,  for  God  is  love.  Ilis  love  is  manifesting  in 
man.  Oh,  that  it  may  be  cultivated,  and  not  destroyed. 
Dear  friend,  I  feel  I  have  given  you  an  introduction 
at  least  in  my  three  letters  of  what  I  believe  would  be 
a  benefit  to  man  if  they  could  but  understand  how 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  13 

much  depends  upon  them,  not  alone  for  themselves, 
but  for  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  others.  I  will 
he  able,  as  conditions  are  given,  to  write  of  my  sur- 
roundings in  my  beautiful  home,  where  all  is  love  and 
harmony,  peace  reigns  and  all  willing  to  submit  to  the 
ruling  power.  You  have  done  more  good  than  you 
are  aware  of.  It  is  the  greatest  workers  that  always 
feel  they  are  doing  least.  You  send  forth  subjects 
that  give  new  ideas  to  those  who  read  them,  awaken- 
ing interest  without  any  desire  on  their  part.  As  I 
said  before,  if  conditions  are  not  interrupted,  you  will 
have  much  to  read  and  to  write.  I  have  said  all  on 
this  subject  that  I  can,  but  I  am  not  at  a  loss  for  some- 
thing more  to  write  about,  for  in  spirit  home  how 
many  beautiful  things  that  have  never  yet  been  talked 
about  too  glorious  to  be  enjoyed  without  giving  the 
knowledge  of  their  existence  to  our  earth  friends !  A 
circle  surrounds  you  this  morning  of  loved  ones  near 
and  dear,  and  your  mother  is  cherished  in  loving  kind- 
ness by  children,  children's  children.  Emil  is  a  bright 
spirit,  and  will  be  able  to  give  much  knowledge  to 
those  who  are  a  great  deal  older.  Dear  friend,  I  must 
withdraw  and  obey  the  law  that  governs  my  comings. 
All  looks  well  for  you  so  far  as  I  see.  No  one  can  be 
really  happy  until  their  spirit  is  free  to  enjoy  that 
happiness  which  is  permanent,  for  all  earthly  pleas- 
ures are  but  temporary.  Farewell  for  the  present. 
In  God's  love  may  you  continue  your  journey  until 
you  arrive  on  the  mount  where  no  dark  ravines  can 
intervene  your  happiness.  Good  bye  for  the  present. 
Your  sincere  friend  in  spirit  life, 

"  Fredkika  Ehrenborg." 


14  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

REMARKABLE  MATERIALIZATION  SEANCE — LETTERS  FROM 
MRS.  EHRENBORG  AND  OTHERS  DESCRIBING  INHABIT- 
ANTS   OF   PLANETS. 

In  the  evening  of  the  same  day  I  was  at  a  mate- 
rializing seance  at  Mrs.  Cooper's,  where  the  following 
persons  besides  myself  were  present :  Mr.  Cooper,  his 
wife,  Mrs.  Annie  Cooper,  the  medium  ;  Dr.  Joseph 
R.  Wittemore,  No.  50  Dayton  street ;  John  Winter- 
born,  No.  19  Freeman  avenue ;  Mr.  Oberline,  Mr.  S. 
G.  Anderson,  and  Mr.  Charles  Wilhelm,  all  of  Cin- 
cinnati. 

First,  Mrs.  Cooper  sat  herself  in  full  gas-light  by 
the  small  covered  stand,  under  which  was  placed 
three  bells,  a  walking  stick,  and  my  small  spring 
music-box,  after  I  had  wound  it  up.  Soon  after  the 
spirits  moved  the  box  up  and  down  and  put  it  on  end 
during  playing,  which  we  could  see,  because  I  put  the 
box  only  half  under  the  curtain.  As  soon  as  the 
playing  stopped,  the  box  was  taken  entirely  under 
and  finally  pushed  out  for  me  to  wind  up.  The  bells 
were  ringing  and  the  walking  stick  was  held  up  and 
extended  to  all  of  us  to  take  hold  of,  which  we  did, 
and  the  spirits  shook  hands  with  us  in  that  way. 
I  had  laid  Madam  Ehrenborg's  photograph  on  the 
table,  and  I  expressed  a  wish  that  she  would  mate- 
rialize, when  on  the  slate,  which  Mrs.  Cooper  held 
under  the  table-leaf,  was  written  :     "  Good  evening, 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  15 

friends  ;  yes,  1  am  with  you  ;  I  will  try  to  appear ; 
we  are  so  happy."  The  gas  was  now  turned  down, 
but  not  lower  than  we  could  see  each  other  right 
well,  and  Mrs.  Cooper  took  her  seat  in  a  chair  behind 
the  curtains  stretched  across  a  corner  of  the  room, 
and  soon  after  a  lady  spirit  greeted  Dr.  Wittemore, 
who,  he  said,  was  his  first  wife.  His  sister  also  came 
and  nodded  to  him.  Then  came  a  sister  to  Anderson 
and  a  sister  to  Mr.  "VVinterborn,  together  with  his 
mother,  who  took  a  flower  from  him,  and  nodded  to 
him  very  cordially.  A  spirit  lady  did  the  same  to 
Mr.  "Wilhelm.  Mr.  Cooper  brought  now  my  music 
instrument,  orgamina,  from  the  upper  room  and  placed 
it  before  me  and  I  played  on  it  with  the  crank.  Soon 
after  a  lady  spirit  came,  dressed  in  a  white  shining 
robe,  and  beckoned  to  me,  when  Mrs.  Cooper,  who 
was  not  in  a  trance,  invited  me  to  come  up  to  the 
curtain  where  the  spirit  stood  in  the  opening,  and  I 
asked  if  it  was  my  friend  Madam  Ehrenborg  who 
died  in  Sweden,  Europe,  eight  years  ago,  and  she 
bowed  and  nodded  assent.  Mr.  "Winterborn  gave  me 
a  flower,  which  I  took  and  oflTered  to  Madam  Ehren- 
borg, who  took  it,  smelled  it,  and  stuck  it  under  my 
nose  to  smell,  and  afterwards  kept  it.  I  expressed 
my  gladness  to  see  her  and  she  made  graceful  bows, 
which  I  answered  with  mine.  I  then  went  back  to 
the  music  instrument  to  play,  when  Madam  Ehren- 
borg came  out  again  with  a  beautiful  long  piece  of 
lace  on  her  arm  and  wafted  it  to  and  fro,  and  after- 
wards dematerialized  before  us.  After  that  came  a 
lady  and  sat  herself  in  the  rocking-chair,  and  there 
dematerialized  before  us.  Mrs.  Cooper  took  now  a 
standing  position  in  the  opening  of  the  curtain,  when 


16  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

a  male  spirit  came  out,  stood  beside  her,  and  kissed 
her.  "When  Mrs.  Cooper  took  her  seat  behind  the 
curtain  again  a  tall  gentleman  spirit  came  dressed  in 
some  kind  of  a  uniform,  with  a  glittering  star  on  his 
right  breast,  and  Mr.  Winterborn  offered  him  a  nose- 
gav,  which  he  took  and  held  out  with  his  hand, 
swinging  his  arm  up  and  down,  keeping  time  to  the 
music  of  the  orgamina  and  that  for  a  long  time.  As 
he  came  out  the  next  time  he  took  hold  of  the  rock- 
ing chair  outside  the  curtain  before  him  and  swung 
it  over  his  head  for  a  long  time,  and  afterwards  low- 
ered it  down  to  about  a  foot  from  the  floor,  when  he 
dropped  it.  At  the  same  time  we  saw  Mrs.  Cooper, 
who  expressed  her  anxiety  lest  the  chair  might  fall 
on  her.  Next  he  placed  himself  at  the  opening  of 
the  curtain,  when  a  lady  spirit  took  her  place  at  his 
left  side,  and  they  kissed  each  other.  Mrs.  Cooper 
asked  for  a  glass  of  water,  which  Mr.  Cooper  went 
after,  intending  to  give  it  to  his  wife,  but  the  gentle- 
man spirit  took  it  from  him  and  gave  it  to  Mrs. 
Cooper,  who  drank  the  water  out  of  the  glass.  The 
same  spirit  sat  himself  in  the  lap  of  Mrs.  Cooper  and 
kissed  her  after  he  had  placed  a  flower  in  her  hair. 
Mrs.  Cooper  was  coughing,  and  Mr.  Winterborngave 
two  cough  lozenges  to  the  spirit,  who  gave  them  to 
Mrs.  Cooper.  The  uniformed  gentleman  spirit  came 
again  out  and  took  the  rocking-chair  with  his  right 
hand  and  swung  it  very  vigorously  over  his  head  for 
a  good  while,  then  put  it  down.  All  the  other  spirits 
had  white  robes  shining  as  snow,  and  all  of  us  were 
exceedingly  gratified  at  such  wonderful  performance. 
The  29th  of  June,  1881,  among  other  valuable  com- 
munications, came  : 


8PIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  17 

Good  morning,  my  dear  friend ;  it  is  with  the 
greatest  pleasure  I  again  come  to  communicate  witli 
you.  Your  star  of  hope  is  increasing  in  brightness. 
I  called  on  you  and  your  dear  lady  last  night  (your 
night).  You  appreciate  the  beauties  of  the  heavens, 
it  was  indeed  grand  to  the  natural  eye."  (My  wife 
and  I  last  evening  were  on  the  roof  of  our  house  on 
Mount  Auburn  looking  at  the  comet  and  the  stars.) 
"  Oh,  I  thought  if  I  could  lift  the  veil  and  show  you 
the  inner  life  so  brightly  beaming  once  again,  what 
joy  it  would  give.  I  have  visited  three  planets,  each 
one  had  a  distinct  race  (of  people)  and  different  one 
from  another,  and  had  mostly  white  skin,  walked 
erect,  were  all  of  the  same  physical  shape,  very  much 
like  the  inhabitants  of  our  planet ;  their  features  are 
more  regular  and  not  much  contrast  in  size.  On  the 
first  planet  they  were  small  in  stature — about  four  feet 
high.  On  the  second  sphere,  about  five  feet  high  and 
of  uniform  size  and  shape.  On  the  third  they  were 
six  feet  high,  with  large  limbs  and  muscles,  language 
quite  different  from  ours,  but  were  highly  educated; 
eat  no  animal  food,  subsist  entirely  ou  vegetable. 
The  day  and  night  are  of  equal  length ;  and  as  this 
last  named  planet  was  most  interesting  to  m3  I  will 
speak  first  of  it :  They  have  a  better  system  of 
astronomy  than  we  do  and  understand  it  more  per- 
fectly. This  planet  has  large  water  courses  and  a 
great  deal  of  commerce.  They  have  no  religion,  such 
as  Christians  call  religion,  but  a  very  high  order  of 
morals.  They  know  little  of  the  immortality  of  the 
soul.  They  have  no  wars,  no  courts  nor  prison 
houses,  and  murder  is  unheard  of.  They  have  no 
kings,  no  politics,  no  religion,  consequently  no  wars. 


18  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

Thoy  live  in  pcriect  harmony;  women  suffer  very 
little  inconvenience  in  bearing  cliildren  ;  the  families 
arc  large,  with  eight  or  ten  chihlren;  they  are  con- 
tented and  happy.  They  have  better  painters  in  col- 
oring in  both  landscapes  and  Y)ortraits.  Their  archi- 
tecture is  perfection;  their  buildings  are  the  most 
beautiful  I  ever  belield.  The  climate  is  genial  the 
year  round,  never  too  hot,  and  never  necessary  to 
have  fire  to  keep  warm ;  but  little  variety  in  temper- 
ature. Dear  friend,  I  could  say  much  more  if  I  had 
power.  I  thank  you  for  your  kind  attention.  I  Avill 
be  able  another  time.  Good  bye  for  the  present.  Your 
sincere  friend  in  spirit  life, 

Fredrika  Ehrenborg." 

The  27th  of  July  at  a  seance  at  Mrs.  Cooper's,  her 
control  informed  me  that  we  meet  to-day  under  dis- 
turbed conditions,  and  when  I  asked  Mrs.  Cooper 
what  that  meant,  she  said  her  husband  wanted  her 
to  move  back  to  Louisville,  as  his  prospects  there  now 
were  better,  and  she  had  concluded  to  do  so,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  she  intended  to  pack  up  her  furni- 
ture immediately  after  the  present  seance.  Madam 
Ehrenborg  wrote  now  a  communication  from  which  I 
will  extract  the  following  :  "  This  dear,  good  woman, 
whom  the  angels  will  bless,  is  the  first  channel 
through  which  I  have  been  able  to  reach  earth  and 
friends  in  this  way,  and  now  to  be  disturbed  and 
taken  away  for  a  while  is  a  loss  to  us.  I  could  go  to 
her,  but  not  write  as  I  write  to  you,  the  friendship 
formed  between  us  before  I  passed  away  gives  me 
strength  and  desires  I  might  not  have  in  any  other 
way,  but  this  form  of  condition  will  not  last  long. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  19 

*  «  *  I  -^vill  try  to  communicate  to  you  whenever 
condition  is  given,  it  is  so  easy  for  me  to  write  here. 
There  are  but  few  who  I  could  say  so  mucli  through 
in  so  short  a  time.  *  *  *  Mrs.  Cooper,  if  you  will 
sit  for  me  next  Wednesday  from  there  (Louisville)  I 
hope  to  be  able  to  write  frequently",  but  not  like  if  he 
was  present.  Good  bye  for  the  present.  Your  most 
sincere  friend  in  spirit  land. 

"  Fredrika  Ehrenborg." 

Mrs.  Cooper  promised  to  do  as  she  was  requested 
and  Ave  agreed,  as  the  spirits  wanted,  that  I  at  the 
the  usual  hour,  9  o'clock  a.  m.,  should  sit  alone  at  home 
the  same  time  as  the  seance  should  take  place  in 
Louisville.  Wednesday,  the  3d  of  August,  I  picked 
a  few  flowers  and  kept  some  of  them  with  me,  as  my 
spirit  son  Emil  directed,  and  the  rest  were  placed  in 
a  glass  on  the  stand,  which  was  covered,  and  under 
it  I  put  Madam  Ehrcnborg's  photograph  and  her  let- 
ters sent  me  from  Sweden.  The  5th  of  August  I  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Miss  Sadie"  Ilare,  ]N'o.  222  St. 
Catherine  street,  Louisville,  Ky.,  wherein  she  states 
that  "  Mrs.  Cooper  came  quite  a  distance  to  our  home 
the  3d  of  August  to  fulfill  her  engagement  with  you 
and  the  dear  spirit  friends,  not  having  conditions  at  her 
sister's  that  would  enable  her  to  give  opportunities  to 
the  spirits.  We  live  a  long  distance  apart  and  some 
distance  from  the  street  railway,  but  you  know  the 
distance  would  have  to  be  very  great  to  prevent  Mrs. 
Cooper  from  keeping  a  spiritual  engagement.  ^  ^ 
With  this  you  will  find  your  communications  which 
I  have  copied.     Respectfully  yours, 

"  Sadie  Hare." 


20  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

"  Louisville,  Awjust  3, 1881. 

"  Yes,  we  see  the  photographs  of  our  dear  friend, 
and  he  has  obeyed  the  request  made.  We  wish  we 
could  bring  just  one  of  the  white  blossoms  he  has 
gathered  for  the  occasion  to  you.  The  dear  spirit 
friends  he  desired  to  hear  from  were  present  when  he 
made  preparations  for  conditions  to  assist  them  to 
come  to  you.  Tell  him  all  will  be  well  with  him. 
The  knowledge  he  has  gained  of  the  spirit  world  will 
not  decay  like  the  blossoms  he  has  gathered  in  his 
beautiful  bouquet.  His  friend  Doc."  The  control  of 
Mrs.  Cooper. 

"  We  have  come,  and  see  that  you  have  had  a  long 
distance  to  come  to  make  conditions  for  us.  Emil  is 
with  me,  and  we  will  do  all  we  can  to  write  a  message 
to  my  dear  friend  C.  G.  Ilelleberg.  I  have  reached 
the  medium  through  which  I  have  been  able  to  write 
so  much  in  so  short  a  time.  I  find  her  much  troubled 
and  disturbed  and  will  not  be  able  to  say  to  you  what 
I  could  if  you  were  present  as  in  former  conditions, 
-but  remember  what  I  have  told  you,  my  work  in 
spirit  life  has  only  began,  and  I  yet  hope  to  say  much 
to  you  and  through  this  medium.  All  the  changes 
that  come  to  our  friends  in  the  form  are  not  pleas- 
ant for  them,  but  changes  that  come  to  us  in  our  spirit 
home  increases  the  happiness  and  joy  that  we  dwell 
in,  but  not  alone,  for  there  is  no  real  happiness  that 
can  be  enjoyed  alone,  for  we  are  united  in  love  and 
harmony,  and  we  are  happy  that  the  change  called 
death  does  not  sever  the  friendship  formed  in  earth 
life.  Progression  is  the  highest  ambition  of  all  good 
spi  rits. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  21 

"  Man  does  not  see  or  know  the  need  of  knowl- 
edge while  in  earth  life,  but  when  he  enters  real  life 
and  knows  there  is  no  turning  "backwards  he  feels 
forced  by  law  of  goodness  to  help  all  those  who  are 
yet  in  darkness;  but,  my  friend,  there  are  so  many 
who  are  forgotten  as  soon  as  the  spirit  has  left  the 
form  and  believed  to  be  dead  by  all  they  once  held 
dear.  I  feel  like  repeating  over  and  over  again  the 
joy  I  continually  receive,  being  remembered  by  you 
who  have  opened  the  avenue  for  me  to  give  and  re- 
ceive. Be  assured  that  your  reward  will  come  and 
inscribed  in  bright,  shining  letters  on  a  banner  of 
truth — your  work  well  done,  good  and  faithful  serv- 
ant. Emil  is  present,  and  desires  to  send  a  few  words 
to  his  papa  and  mamma.  I  know,  my  dear  friend, 
how  you  missed  the  interview  this  morning  you 
would  have  enjoyed  so  much  ;  but  be  reconciled, 
they  are  more  disturbed  than  our  dear  medium  ;  but 
could  she  behold  the  bright  spirits  that  stand  in  circle 
around  her  she  would  not  despair.  It  will  not  be 
long  till  the  way  is  cleared  and  we  can  draw  nearer 
to  communicate  through  her  to  you,  and  of  every 
thorn  comes  a  blessing,  the  severest  cross  is  a  crown 
to  those  who  are  willing  to  bear  for  the  sake  of  truth 
and  progression.  I  desire,  my  dear  friend,  to  have  these 
interviews  repeated.  Had  there  not  been  a  kind, 
genial  lady  to  sit  for  you  to  copy  what  was  written 
I  would  not  have  been  able  to  say  this  much  in  a 
strange  place.  I  thank  you,  my  young  friend,  for  as- 
sistance and  willingness  on  your  part,  and  remember, 
though  the  act  may  seem  small  to  you,  it  is  worth 
gratitude  from  us,  and  you  may  rely  upon  an  increase 


22  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  . 

of  spiritual  influence  to  assist  you.  Accept  this,  my 
dear  friend  ;  I  liope  to  say  more  again.  Your  most 
sincere  friend  in  spirit  life, 

"  Fredrika  Ehrenborg." 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  23 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MADAM    EHRENBORG   AND   OTHERS   MATERIALIZE. 

I  received  several  other  valuable  letters  of  my  spir- 
itual friends  from  Louisville,  and  in  one  of  them,  the 
18th  of  August,  Madam  Ehrenborg  wrote : 

^"  A  request  has  been  made  for  Mrs.  Helleberg  to 
write  a  letter  to  her  sister  Emma  and  her  father,  that 
it  may  enable  them  to  remain"  long  enough  to  com- 
municate that  she  may  hear  direct  from  them,  for  they 
are  often  with  her,  and  want  her  to  know  it  is  not 
wrong  for  them  to  come  or  for  her  to  look  for  them." 

In  consequence  of  this  I  persuaded  my  wife  to  write 
a  letter  to  them,  which  she  did,  and  I  sealed  it  up 
with  red  sealing  wax,  with  my  seal  on,  and  sent  it  by 
mail  to  Mrs.  Cooper,  without  any  superscription.  On 
the  25th  of  August  we  received  a  letter  from  Miss 
Hare  and  Mrs.  Cooper,  together  with  my  wife's  sealed 
letter  unopened,  and  a  long  and  beautiful  letter  from 
her  spirit  sister,  Emma,  who  had  also  answered  for 
her  father,  which  was  so  true  and  striking  that  her 
fear  melted  awav,  and  concluded  to  investi£:atc  these 
strange  facts.  In  October,  Mrs.  Cooper  revisited  Cin- 
cinnati, during  which  time  my  wife  and  I  had  several 
very  satisfactory  seances,  and  on  invitation  from  her 
we  were  present  at  a  social  materialization  seance  on 
the  28th  of  said  month,  in  the  evening,  in  company 
with  the  following  persons  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stebbins, 
Miss  Sa,die  Hare,  Mrs.  Gano,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green,  Mr. 


24  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

Cooper's  mother,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Macky,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kieely,  Miss  Sneider,  Mrs.  Artzman,  Dr.  Taylor  and 
Mr.  Winterborn.  A  curtain  was  stretched  across  a 
corner  of  the  room,  and  the  small  stand  was  put  on 
the  floor,  and  under  it  was  placed  two  call  bells,  a  big 
brass  bell,  and  a  drum,  with  sticks  and  a  walking  stick. 
AVheii  Mrs.  Stebbins  played  on  the  violin,  or  we  sung 
or  played  on  the  orgamina,  the  spirit  skept  time  with 
the  bells  and  drum.  The  walking  stick  was  pointed 
to  different  individuals  of  the  company,  who  had 
mental  questions  answered  when  they  took  hold  of 
the  uplifted  stick.  Mr.  Stebbins  put  the  end  of  the 
bow  under  the  table,  and  the  fiddle  he  laid  on  the 
floor,  about  a  foot  from  the  table,  when  the  spirits 
played  on  it.  The  table  was  also  lifted  up  and  down, 
keeping  time  with  our  music  When  Mrs.  Cooper 
took  her  seat  behind  the  curtain  soon  after,  several 
spirits  materialized  to  many  of  their  relatives  and 
friends,  who  recognized  them,  among  whom  were 
Miss  Mary  Muth  and  Madam  Ehreuborg.  I  and  my 
wife  went  up  to  the  curtain,  when  Miss  Mary  Muth 
touched  my  wife's  hand  and  took  a  flower  from  her. 
Afterwards  Madam  Ehrenborg  came  in  full  form, 
dressed  in  a  fine  dark  suit,  with  a  black  lace  cap,  and 
when  my  wife  asked  if  it  was  Mrs.  Ehrenborg,  she 
nodded  her  head  smilingly  several  times,  and  then 
dematerialized.  We  took  our  seats,  but  Madam 
Ehrenborg  came  again  twice,  when  I  went  up  to  the 
curtciin  with  Mr.  Stebbins,  who  also  saw  her  very 
plainly,  how  she  nodded  to  me  and  kissed  my  hand, 
which  was  touched  by  her  lips,  and  had  a  warm  feel- 
ing. She  afterwards  dematerialized  before  us.  At 
the  same  time  this  took  place  we  saw  and  conversed 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  25 

with  Mrs.  Cooper,  who  is  never  in  a  trance  state  at 
any  time.  When  we  came  home  we  examined  Madam 
Ehrunborg's  photograph,  and  we  found  her  dress  and 
every  thing  else  apparently  exactly  the  same  as  that 
in  which  the  photograph  was  taken.  Her  features 
were  also  the  same.  I  had  seen  her  materialized  sev- 
eral times  before,  but  always  in  shining  white  robes, 
and  now  she  took  on  the  same  garment  as  that  worn 
when  the  photograph  was  taken,  probably  to  convince 
my  wife  of  her  identity. 


26  Kl'IltlT    CO.M.MUXICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

INVESTIGATIONS     BY     MRS.    JENNIE     m'kEE — FIRST    LETTER 
FROM   EMANUEL    SWEDENBORG,   ETC. 

After  Mrs.  Cooper  moved  to  Louisville  I  made  ac- 
quaintance with  Mrs.  Jennie  McKee,  a  real  lady  of 
high  moral  and  truthful  qualities,  who  had  wonder- 
ful medial  gifts,  and  permitted  me  to  come  to  her 
residence,  No.  47 J  Sherman  avenue,  Cincinnati,  for  a 
slate-writing  seance  weekly,  every  Thursday,  from  9 
to  11  A.  M.  The  spirits  wrote  independent,  in  broad 
daylight,  when  she  held  the  slate  under  the  stand, 
which  was  never  covered  with  any  thing,  and  with  a 
pencil  so  small  (about  one-eighth  part  of  a  common 
wheat  grain)  that  no  human  fingers  in  the  body  could 
write  with  it.  I  commenced  with  her  the  4th  of  Au- 
gust, 1881,  and  continued  until  she  passed  away  to 
the  higher  life,  the  17th  of  November  the  same  year. 
During  that  time  I  received  many  highly  valuable 
and  remarkable  communications  and  gifts,  of  which ' 
I  will  only  mention  a  few.  On  the  8th  day  of  Sep- 
tember there  appeared  among  other  communications 
on  the  slate  the  following : 

"My  friend,  I  come  from  a  higher  sphere  of  light 
and  truth,  in  compliance  with  your  request,  and  I  greet 
you  this  morning  in  God's  most  holy  name.  I  will 
speak  to  you  not  as  I  would  have  done  when  inhab- 
ited in  earth  form,  but  with  a  more  expanded  vision, 
and  the  more  profound  knowledge  and  the  clearer 
understanding  of  the  fundamental  laws  and  govern- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  27 

ing  principles  of  the  Great  Ruler  of  the  universe. 
In  those  days  in  which  I  wrote  it  would  have  been 
a  very  unwise  and  dangerous  thing  to  have  given 
these  spiritual  manifestations  to  the  people,  from  the 
fact  that  they  were  not  prepared  to  receive  the  bless- 
ings, and  the  ultimate  desire  for  the  amelioration  of 
mankind  would  have  been  defeated,  and  the  result 
would  have  been  disastrous." 

I  had  wished  a  clearer  understanding  about  our 
guardian  spirits,  a,nd  on  the  slate  came : 

"  At  the  time  of  birth  there  are  two  self-constituted 
guardians,  one  from  the  light  sphere  and  one  from 
the  dTirk,  and  as  the  child  advances  toward  maturity, 
the  number  is  greatly  increased ;  but  whether  good 
or  bad,  depends  entirely  upon  the  persons  themselves. 
Thus,  for  instance,  if  man  leads  a  life  of  depravity 
and  vice,  he  naturally  attracts  spirits  of  a  like  char- 
acter; on  the  other  hand,  if  a  man  leads  a  moral  life 
of  purity,  bearing  in  his  heart  love  and  good  will  to 
others,  he  is  surrounded  by  pure  spirits,  who  are  at- 
tracted by  those  elements.  Thus,  my  friend,  you  see 
how  essential  it  is,  both  for  happiness  here  and 
through  all  eternity,  that  you  conduct  yourself  so  that 
the  pure  spirit  of  love  can  come  and  minister  to  you. 
I  must  leave,  but  will  shortly  come  again." 
.  Here  I  said  to  Mrs.  McKee  :  "  If  he  signs  his  name, 
I  would  like  to  have  the  slate,  so  I  could  show  it  to 
my  wife;"  and  he  said  to  her  (but  I  could  not  hear 
him) :  "  Put  a  paper  on  the  slate."  I  cut  a  leaf  from 
my  annotation  pocket  book,  and  we  put  it  on  the  slate 
loose,  and  Mrs.  McKee  held  the  slate,  with  the  paper 
and  a  short  lead  pencil  on  it,  under  the  table,  and  on 


28  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

the  paper,  now  in  my  possession,  was   the  follow- 
ing: 

"Dear  heart,  so  true  to  my  memory,  my  blessing 
with  you,  Emanuel  Swedenborg." 

On  the  13th  of  October,  at  a  seance  by  Mrs.  McKee, 
from  9  to  9:30  a.  m.,  the  following  communication  ap- 
peared on  the  slate : 

"  My  beloved,  I  am  with  you,  and  I  greet  you  with 
my  blessing  in  the  name  of  the  Most  High  and  Rul- 
ing Power,  and  not  only  is  it  I  who  bless  3'ou,  you 
have  attracted  to  you  a  number  of  highly  exalted 
spirits,  who  love  you  for  your  singleness  of  purpose 
and  purity  of  heart,  with  which  you  are  promulgat- 
ing the  teachings  you  receive  from  us ;  that  is  why 
you  have  been  selected  by  us,  because  you  have  been 
upright  and  moral  in  your  life ;  because  those  who 
wish  to  investigate  would  be  more  impressed  tlian  did 
the  communication  come  from  other  sources.  Fear 
not,  we  will  be  with  you,  and  each  word  will  have 
weight.  You  must  expect  to  be  criticised  and  doubted ; 
but  again  I  say,  fear  not,  we  are  with  you,  and  will 
turn  the  thought  of  the  people.  We  shall  eventually 
see  our  eiforts  crowned  with  success.  We  appoal  to 
the  senses;  it  would  be  a  vain  and  useless  thing  to  set 
up  a  higher  authority  than  man's  own  conscience,  for 
that  is  the  last  final  tribunal  at  which  he  is  judged. 
The  errand  of  life,  the  education,  unfolding  and 
strengthening  the  combination  of  the  mind,  the  exi- 
gencies of  business,  the  duties  of  citizenship,  the 
cares  of  the  household,  all  this  requires  the  utmost 
seriousness  of  purpose  and  activity ;  but  activity  is 
neither  in  the. development  of  manhood.     It  is  far 


*    SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  29 

more  essential  that  the  mind  and  moral  nature  should 
have  careful  cultivation.  Man  should  not  care  so 
much  concerning  tlie  short  period  of  natural  life. 
From  this  side,  tlirough  us  who  live  by  deeds,  not 
years,  in  thought  and  feeling,  instead  of  figures  on 
the  dial,  by  the  happiness  we  produce,  is  our  only 
gauge  of  time.  There  is  an  embodiment  of  selfish- 
ness underlying  the  human  family  which  will  first 
have  to  be  eradicated  through  education,  and  it  is  the 
desire  of  the  spirit  world  that  man  should  be  a  brother 
to  his  fellow-man.  I  go  now,  but  will  be  with  you  as 
often  as  I  can.  I  leave  my  blessing  for  you  and  your 
household.  Swedenborg." 

"  My  friend,  I  come  to  say  how  much  I  enjoy  and 
sympathize  with  you,  that  those  who  were  blind  are 
beginning  to  see,  and  are  in  better  condition  for  the 
reception  and  appreciation  of  the  spiritual  blessing 
which  are  being  prepared  for  you  and  yours  by  the 
loved  ones  who  are  gone  before.  I  have  brought  my 
dear  life  companion  with  me  this  morning,  who  is 
working  with  mein  acquiring  the  knowledge  which 
will  be  necessary  for  you  in  the  fulfillment  of  the  mis- 
sion you  have  been  selected  for  to  give  out  the  knowl- 
edge of  this  glorious  philosophy.  It  is  the  truth,  for 
it  is  vouched  for  by  the  testimony  of  every  atom, 
every  bright  world  you  observe  in  the  firmament,  and 
lastly  by  the  spirit  of  the  past  man  made  perfect. ' 
You  may  be  called  fanatic,  but  if  spiritualism  is  fanat- 
icism, it  is  of  more  value  to  mankind  than  the  whole 
circle  of  the  sciences.  We  are  called  away  now,  but 
will  come  this  eveniuff.  Fredrika." 


30  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  ' 

"  Dear  papa,  there  is  much  joy  and  rejoicing  among 
your  spirit  band.  I  am  so  happy  that  I  can  come  to 
dear  mamma,  and  have  lier  receive  me  as  you  do. 
Kiss  her  for  rac.  The  power  is  too  far  gone  to  write 
any  more.  Emil." 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1881,  between  9  and  11  a. 
M.,  at  a  seance  with  Mrs.  McKee,  the  following  com- 
munication appeared  on  the  slate  : 

"  Good  morning,  my  friend.  I  am  here,  and  greet 
you  with  my  love  and  my  blessing  as  the  one  chosen 
by  me  to  help  me  in  correcting  the  teachings  I  have 
put  forth,  and  which  at  that  time  were  not  clearly 
understood  even  by  myself,  consequently  I  failed  to 
render  myself  suiRciently  intelligible  to  be  properly 
understood  by  others.  Now  these  mistakes  must  be. 
rectified,  and  the  erroneous  impression  replaced  by 
the  truth.  I  am  preparing  my  statements,  and  they 
will  be  given  to  you  in  proper  time  through  the  chan- 
nels we  have  cliosen,  I  have  chosen  you  as  my  as- 
sistant, well  knowing  your  loyalty,  steadfastness  of 
purpose  and  your  fearless  disposition,  so  like  what 
my  own  was,  so  it  would  be  a  matter  of  perfect  in- 
difference whether  you  received  commendation  of  the 
people  or  only  arouse  their  condemnation.  It  was 
this  prominent  characteristic  which  proved  the  at- 
tractive power  that  has  drawn  me  to  you.  I  ask  no 
one  to  give  up  their  principles ;  I  simply  desire  to 
place  truth  before  them,  and  let  each  individual  rea- 
son according  to  the  light  surrounding  him.  Surely 
truth  can  defend  itself,  so  we  will  let  it  speak  for  it- 
self. I  am  happy  and  content  with  my  surroundings, 
but  I  come  to  brino;  to  the  children  of  mv  love,  the 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  31 

people  of  the  new  church,  more  light,  if  they  will 
only  receive  it.  I  am  impressed  more  fully  each  time 
I  revisit  your  earth  sphere  that,  had  I  lived  at  the 
present  day,  my  labors  would  have  been  understood 
and  appreciated,  and  I  should  not  have  felt  that  my 
best  efforts  were  but  a  sad  failure  in  comparison  to 
what  I  expected  or  desired.  I  am  now  called  away, 
so  I  now  leave  for  this  time,  but  will  be  with  you 
soon.     Good  bye.     God  bless  you  and  yours. 

"  SVVEDENBORG." 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1881,  at  Mrs.  McKee's,  Swe- 
denborg  gave  me  a  short  communication,  both  on 
slate  and  paper,  and  afterwards  came : 

"  Good  morning,  my  friend,  Swedenborg  has  been 
called  away,  but  he  has  brought  me  to  say  a  word  and 
to  assist  in  promulgating  the  truth.  Many  high  and 
elevated  spirits  are  banding  together  to  spread  the 

truth.  POLHEIM."* 

On  the  3d  of  November,  1881,  I  had  a  seance  with 
Mrs.  McKee,  and  after  the  slate  had  been  under  the 
bare  stand  for  about  ten  minutes  a  tap  was  heard,  by 
which  sign  it  was  taken  out  from  under  the  stand, 
and  five  exceedingly  beautiful,  fresh  flowers,  giving 
out  a  delicious  perfume,  were  on  the  slate,  and  little 
dew  drops  had  made  some  wet  spots  under  them.  On 
the  slate  was  written  the  following : 

"  Good  morning,  my  friend.  I  bring  you  some  flow- 
ers.    Let  them  convey  to  you  the  dearest  essence  of 

*This  Polheim  was  Sweden's  greatest  architect.-matheraatician  and 
builder,  who  projected  the  canal  between  Stockholm  and  Gottenburg. 


32  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

the  high  power  to  produce.     They  are  the  handiwork 
of  God.     In  them  we  see  His  ever  living  presence. 

"  Fredrika  Eurenborg." 

Afterwards  the  following  commnnication  appeared  : 
"  Good  morning,  my  beloved.  I  am  again  with  you, 
weighty  with  rich  blessings  for  you  and  yours,  and  I 
come  also  with  a  heart  overflowing  with  love,  tender- 
ness and  gratitude,  that  I  am  permitted,  through  the 
goodness  and  wisdom  of  the  most  High  Power,  to  re- 
turn, and  through  you,  my  trustworthy  assistant,  give 
my  thoughts  and  ideas  to  the  people.  We  love  our 
mediums,  our  channels  and  our  doorway,  through 
which  we  come  to  love  and  bless.  Take  no  heed 
of  any  unkind  remarks,  it  is  only  an  evidence  of  ig- 
norance. Keep  straight  on,  turn  neither  to  the  right 
nor  to  the  left,  continue  to  scatter  seeds  by  the  way- 
sides, which  will  furnish  food  for  thought,  and  thought 
will  lead  to  investigation.  Investigation  must  neces- 
sarily lead  in  the  acknowledgment  of  the  truth.  You 
can  not  expect  to  convince  at  once — it  must  be  the 
work  of  time — and  bear  in  mind,  no  one  ever  yet 
sought  to  benefit  mankind  who  was  not  placed  under 
the  dark  ban  of  suspicion.  As  you  say,  nothing  can 
be  gained  by  denunciation.  Keep  on.  My  blessing 
with  you.  Swedenborg." 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  33 


CIIAPTEE,  VI. 


r'y 


MRS.     M  KEE     PASSES     AWAY    AND     HER     SPIRIT     ARRANGES 
HER   OWN   FUNERAL. 

When  the  seance  was  over,  I  at  once  took  the  flow- 
ers to  Mrs.  Minor's  to  have  them  arranged  according 
to  her  art  for  preservation  and  now  have  them  in  all 
their  original  beauty.  The  17th  of  November,  1881, 
I  went  to  Mrs.  McKee  for  a  slate-writing  seance,  as 
for  some  time  I  have  been  used  to  do  every  Thursday 
morning  at  9  o'clock,  w^here  I  met  at  the  door  her 
step-father,  R.  J.  William,  who  informed  me  that  his 
daughter  Jennie  had,  half  an  hour  before,  passed 
aw^ay  to  the  spiritual  world,  and  invited  me  up  on 
the  floor  above  to  see  her  body.  In  the  death-room  I 
found  my  friend,  the  wonderful  clairvoyant  and  trance 
medium,  Mrs.  Anna  Rail,  and  Jennie's  mother,  who 
found  that  her  head  was  not  quite  cold.  From  the 
house  of  mourning  I  went  to  Mrs.  Minor's  for  the 
five  flowers  I  had  received  from  my  dear  spirit  friend, 
Mrs.  Fredrika  Ehrenborg,  through  the  medial  power 
of  Mrs.  McKee,  the  3d  of  ISTovember,  and  which  now 
were  preserved  under  glass,  and  afterwards  went  to 
have  a  seance  at  Mrs.  Green's,  where  I  plaoed  those 
beautiful  flowers  on  the  small  stand  between  us.  Soon 
we  heard  w^riting  on  the  slate  and  a  tap,  when  we 
found  on  it  the  following  communication  : 

"  Good  morning,  dear  papa.  How  sad  for  you  to 
look  upon  the  face  tins  morning,  not  yet  cold,  that 


34  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

had  afforded  you  so  much  real  happiness,  and  pure 
as  the  flowers  before  you  that  came  t]irou_o:h  her 
medial  powers.  She  entered  the  spirit  workl  to  meet 
the  loved  ones  gone  before.  Her  suffering  is  no  more. 
She  saw  you,  audi  shook  hands  Avith  her.  She  knew 
mo,  and  she  was  all  smiles.  She  was  glad  she  passed 
away  on  the  morning  she  had  an  engagement  with 
you  ;  so  your  heavenly  influences  was  tiiere  to  aid  her 
spirit.  She  hoped  for  it.  She  will  be  able  to  com- 
municate to  you  soon  and  tell  you  how  she  found  the 
new  life.  She  will  write  immediately,  she  under- 
stands it.  Dear  papa,  try  to  make  a  house  not  of 
mourning ;  she  wants  joj^,  she  is  free  from  suffering 
and  able  to  communicate.  Will  see  her  own  funeral 
and  Avishes  to  have  a  real  spiritualist's  funeral,  be- 
coming one  who  has  passed  away  in  its  full  faith. 
She  wants  Mrs.  Green  to  repeat  that  beautiful  poem 
that  she  so  much  admired  :  *  I  Still  Live  '  (herself). 
I  would  like  31r.  Green,  with  others,  to  make  some 
consoling  remarks.  The  song '  There  is  no  death,'  sung. 
She  says  that  every  thing  so  far  has  turned  out  all 
right,  and  she  wants  every  thing  done  according  to 
her  desire.  They  all  know  what  a  devotee  she  was  in 
spiritualism."  (Here  I  mentioned  to  Mrs.  Green  that 
I  would  go  back  to  the  house  of  mourning  and  tell 
them  of  this  as  soon  as  possible,  and  now  came.) 
"  That  is  just  it.  She  told  me  all  and  requested  me 
to  write  it.  She  wants  them  to  cast  away  the 
thoughts  of  her  old  body  from  their  minds,  and  to 
think  her  free  spirit  moving  through  the  house  as  of 
old.  She  wants  her  dear  old  parents  not  to  mourn. 
She  wants  all  the  mediums  next  to  her  immediate 
family,  and  spiritualists,  to  strengthen  her  so. she  can 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  35 

manifest,  if  possible.  She  says  this  is  her  wisnes ;  they 
can  do  as  they  please.  Dear  papa,  I  have  done  my 
duty  this  morning  for  her  beautiful  free  spirit,  and 
happy  for  the  honor  conferred  upon  me  as  her  aman- 
uensis. We  have  nothing  more  to  communicate  this 
morning,  only  she  wants  Mrs.  Rail,  her  near  and  dear 
friend,  to  control  affairs  as  far  as  she  can,  as  she  knows 
her  wishes  and  desires,  and  knows  she  will  please  her 
and  do  what  is  right.  Love  to  dear  mamma ;  kiss 
htr  for  me.  Emil." 

"  Mrs.  McKee  says  many  thanks  for  your  kindness 
She  will  be  with  you  often.     Much  love  to  all. 

"  Emil." 

"We  were  present  at  her  beautiful  funeral,  where 
Jennie  herself  spoke  through  Mrs.  Rail  over  her  own 
body,  and  it  was  in  truth  remarked  from  the  people 
that  this  was  the  most  soul-uplifting  funeral  services 
they  ever  had  witnessed.  The  spirit  comniunicates 
with  me  often. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

INVESTIGATIONS  WITH  MRS.  GREEN — REMARKABLE  DARK 
TRUMPET  SEANCE  AT  WHICH  I  RECEIVED  A  MOST  BEAU- 
TIFUL FLOWER  FROM  MY  SON  EMIL  AND  MISS  MARY 
MUTH. 

My  investigations  through  the  excellent  medium, 
Mrs.  Green,  commenced  the  2d  of  September,  1881, 
and  I  received  many  interesting  communications  from 
my  dear  and  near  relatives,  which  I  value  very  highly, 
but  naturally  would  not  have  the  same  value  for  the 
general  reader,  and  therefore  I  deem  it  best  to  ex- 
clude most  of  them  and  take  in  only  writings  from 
exalted,  spirits  who  are  more  generally  known. 

The  19th  of  September  came : 

"  From  the  higher  sphere  of  light  I  come 
To  teach  you  the  beauties  of  our  home, 
And  to  impart  to  you  the  golden  truth  * 

And  make  you  feel  its  real  worth. 

"  And  to  my  dear  old  friend,  your  wife, 
I  wish  to  prove  a  future  life, 
And  to  assist  her  while  she  remains  here. 
And  help  to  guide  her  to  our  heavenly  sphere. 

"Oh,  the  beautiful  birds  that  sing  their  lay, 
Come  to  bless  me  every  day. 
The  flowers  of  fragrance,  sweet  and  rare, 
And  heavenly  music  fills  the  air. 
"  From  your  friend, 

"  Fredrika  Ehbenboro." 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  37 

The  20th  of  October,  1881,  I  was  present  at  Mrs. 
Green's  trumpet  seance  in  the  evening  in  company 
with  the  following  persons:  Mr.  Green,  the  medi- 
um's husband ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stebbins,  a  reporter  from 
the  "Enquirer,"  who  gave  his  name  as  Johnson,  and 
Mr.  Walker.  On  the  stand  was  placed  three  slates, 
one  of  which  was  my  own,  three  trumpets,  one  glass 
of  water,  and  my  spring  music-box.  On  the  floor 
stood  the  big  tin  trumpet  and  by  it  laid  my  guitar,  and 
not  far  from  Mr.  Stebbins  was  his  fiddle.  After  the 
light  was  put  out  and  the  doors  locked  I  wound  up 
my  music-box  and  x)ut  it  on  the  right  hand  corner  of 
the  stand  before  me.  Soon  after  it  was  taken  away 
while  playing  and  carried  around  all  over  our  heads, 
and  some  of  us  were  touched  with  it.  Finally  it  came 
back  to  me  and  was  placed  in  my  left  hand  with  the 
spirit,  whose  hand  I  touched  with  both  my  hands.  I 
wound  it  up  again  and  the  spirit  took  it  away  and 
carried  it  around  the  same  as  before,  but  when  it 
came  back  it  was  placed  on  the  left  hand  corner  of 
the  stand,  and  I  laid  the  key  close  by  it.  Afterwards 
I  played  my  orgamina  when  the  spirit  voices  of  both 
sexes  joined  in  with  their  songs,  and  so  they  did  when 
we  sang. 

I  intended  to  wind  up  the  music-box  again  and 
felt  for  it  on  the  corner,  when  I  discovered  that  both 
the  box  and  key  were  gone.  Soon  after  we  heard 
the  box  playing  and  going  over  our  heads  as  be- 
fore, and  the  box  was  replaced  on  the  corner  of  the 
stand  with  the  key  on  top.  All  the  trumpets  and 
the  guitar  were  moving  around  in  th'e  air  high  above 
our  heads,  the  guitar  was  played  on  in  time  with  the 


SS  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

music,  and  we  all  were  touched  and  stroked  on  dif- 
ferent parts  of  our  bodies  with  these  implements. 
The  guitar  was  laid  in  my  lap,  and  I  sang  a  Swedish 
song,  accompanied  by  the  guitar,  when  we  heard  a 
spirit  voice  singing  with  me,  and  I  and  the  others 
beard  the  words  pronounced  by  the  spirit,  which  I 
declare  were  the  same  Swedish  words  which  I  sung. 
Mrs.  Stebbens  was  clasped  around  her  neck  by  her 
spirit  daughter  Ida,  who  whispered  to  and  patted 
both  her  and  Mr.  Stebbins.  Mrs.  Green  and  Mrs. 
Stebbens  saw  several  spirit  lights,  and  Mr.  Walker 
was  informed  by  striking  and  tolling  on  the  big  tin 
trumpet  that  his  father  in  Kansas  would  soon  pass 
awa}'.  I  felt  for  m}'^  music-box  again,  intending  to 
wind  it  up,  when  I,  to  my  great  surprise,  found  a 
fresh,  beautiful  flower  on  top  of  it,  and  my  slate  was 
placed  in  my  hand.  Soon  after  the  seanqe  was  closed 
and  when  the  room  was  lighted  up,  we  found  written 
on  one  slate  the  name  of  the  reporter,  and  on  my 
slate  the  following: 

"  Dear  papa,  we  present  you  the  flower  we  prom- 
ised you  some  time  ago.     The  passion  flower. 

"  Emil  and  Mary." 

It  was  a  large,  very  beautiful,  quite  fresh  flower, 
which  I  now  have  preserved  in  a  glass  jar  with  de- 
odorized alcohol.  On  seeing  this  flower  my  wife's 
idea  was  that  the  flower  had  been  brought  from  some 
garden,  and  I  thought  the  spirits  made  it,  which 
caused  me,  at  a  slate-writing  seance  tbe  24th  of  Oc- 
tober, to  ask  which  of  us  was  right.  On  the  slate 
was  this  answer : 

"  Mary  and  I,  with  the  assistance  of  the  medium's 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  S9 

band,  created  it  for  you  and  dear  mamma,  and  you 
will  find  a  dove  in  the  center." 

On  a  close  examination  we  found  to  our  astonish- 
ment a  small  dove  there. 


40  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SURE    IDENTITY    OF    MY    FATHER-IN-LAW — MADAM    EHREN- 
BORG   AVRITES   TO   ME   IN    SWEDISH. 

Oil  the  8th  of  December,  1881, 1  and  my  wife  had  a 
slate -writing  seance  in  the  forenoon,  and  were  present 
in  the  evening  at  a  trumpet  seance  with  Mrs.  Green, 
and  as  my  wife  received  a  strong  convincing  test 
through  the  name  of  her  father,  it  is  necessary  before 
relating  the  fiicts  to  make  a  short  sketch  of  a  part  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  Swedish  nobleman,  named  Otto  Jacob 
Natt  och  Dag,  who,  by  the  favor  of  the  dethroned  King 
Gustaf  Adolf  the  Fourth,  was  educated  in  the  mili- 
tary academy,  and  afterwards  served  as  officer  in  a 
rank  regiment  in  Stockholm,  which  the  new  King 
Charles  the  Fourteenth,  Johan,  the  former  J^apoleon's 
General  Bernadott,  looked  upon  with  great  favor. 
This  young  nobleman  wrote  an  anonymous  book  about 
reorganizing  the  Swedish  army,  in  Mdiich  many  good 
and  necessary  reforms  were  proposed.  This  book  was 
not  intended  for  sale,  but  a  few  copies  had  been 
printed  for  his  intimate  friends.  Some  of  his  so- 
called  friends  reported  this,  and  mentioned  his  name 
to  the  King,  Avho  became  enraged  that  a  young  of- 
ficer should  dare  to  have  the  impertinence  to  inter- 
fere with  his  business,  and  want  to  teach  him,  who 
had  such  a  vast  experience  in  military  aftairs,  the  con- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  41 

Beqnence  of  which  was  that  he  was  transported  to 
serve  in  a  common  infantry  regiment,  far  up  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  country,  a  long  distance  from 
his  near  and  dear  relatives.  Such  treatment  natu- 
rally made  liim  feel  bad,  and  lie  asked  permission  to 
travel  in  foreign  countries,  which  he  got,  and  went 
straight  to  Baden,  in  Germany,  where  he  called  on 
his  former  King,  Gustaf  Adolf,  and  was  kindly  re- 
ceived. There  he  republished  his  book  in  the  Ger- 
man language,  with  some  additions,  which  the  Swe- 
dish minister  reported  to  the  King,  who  then  consid- 
ered him  a  traitor,  and  ordered  his  arrest,  but  his 
Swedish  friends  informed  him  of  this  in  time,  and  he 
went  to  America  under  the  name  of  Frederick  Franks, 
which  was  the  name  of  a  German  student,  who  gave 
him  his  passport,  and  which  he  afterwards  adopted  and 
used  until  his  death.  The  King,  Charles  the  Four- 
teenth, had  liim  adjudged,  unheard  and  absent,  by  a 
court  for  high  treason,  for  daring  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
dethroned  King,  and  the  judgment  was  that  he  should 
lose  his  place  and  rank  in  the  army.  Many  years  after- 
wards the  King  regretted  his  harsh  and  unjust  treat- 
ment of  his  faithful,  patriotic  and  skillful  officer,  and 
pardoned  him,  and  ©rdered  his  Swedish  minister  at 
Washington  to  inform  him  of  it,  so  he  could  go  back 
and  enjoy  all  his  privileges ;  but  his  former  guard  officer 
had  now  been  for  many  years  a  republican  citizen, 
who,  with  his  artistic  and  many  other  talents  and  busi- 
ness capacity,  had  made  himself  independent,  and  he 
never  went  back,  i^obody  here  but  the  family  knew 
any  thing  of  his  Swedish  name,  and  my  wife  said  to 
me  that  she  would  be  more  fully  convinced  of  her 


42  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

father's  identity  if  he  would  sign  himself  with  that 
name. 

In  the  slate-writing  seance  in  the  forenoon  I  had 
put  my  own  slate,  which  Mrs.  Green  never  touched, 
under  the  side  of  the  stand  nearest  me,  and  on  Mrs. 
Green's  slate  the  following  appeared  : 

"  Put  out  the  slate  and  see  if  any  thing  is  on  it  ? " 
I  did  so,  and  on  my  slate  the  following  sentence 
appeared : 

"  God  hless  you  both  is  the  wish  of  your  exalted 
friend,  Fredhika  Ehrenborg." 

Among  other  things  was  the  following  : 
"  Now,  dear  papa  and  mamma,  we  hav^e  done  all 
we  can  this  morning.  Much  love  to  you  both.  Grandpa 
will  bo  with  you  to-night ;  Grandpa  Helleberg,  Mary 
and  Julia,  too,  Emil,  Gustaf  and  Charley.  You  will 
have  many  bright  and  beautiful  spirits  with  you  this 
evening  to  cheer  you  on  your  road  to  the  beautiful 
spirit  world.  There  all  are  in  peace  and  happiness — 
Emil,  Frances,  Emma,  Mary,  Julia. 

"  Emanuel  Swedenborg." 

On  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  December,  at  the 
above-mentioned  trumpet  seance  were  present,  besides 
me  and  my  wife,  the  following  persons  :  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stebbins,  Mr,  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  Mrs.  Catherine  liem- 
lin,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  and  Mrs.  Boggs.  We  had 
spirit  singing  and  talking,  with  many  other  remarka- 
ble manifestations.  Among  the  spirits  who  spoke 
were  Garfield,  Washington  and  Lincoln,  three  ex- 
Presidents.  Two  slates  were  put  on  the  table  by  Mr. 
Green  before  the  light  was  put  out,  and  I  had  that 
afternoon  bought  two  very  small  silica  slates,  of  which 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  43 

I  gave  one  to  my  wife,  who  held  it  in  her  hand,  and 
the  other,  in  the  dark,  I  put  on  the  corner  of  the  table 
nearest  me,  which  nobody  else  knew  any  thing  about. 
When  the  seance  was  over  several  names  and  mes- 
sages were  written  on  the  two  big  slates,  and  on  mine 
was  the  following  on  both  sides  : 

"  My  Dear  Daughter— Oh,  how  happy  I  am  that  I 
have  found  a  way  to  communicate  to  you.  I  will  be 
with  you  often.  O.  J.  X.  D." 

On  the  other  side  appeared  : 

"  My  Dear  Daugiiter — According  to  promise  I  am 
with  you.  I  have  many  things  to  tell  you.  With  my 
heart  full  of  love  for  you,  0.  J.  I^.  D." 

These  were  the  initials  of  my  wife's  father's  Swedish 
name.  Otto  Jacob  jS'att  ocli  Dag,  and  we  were  highly 
pleased  with  the  result.  Subsequently  he  communi- 
cated often,  signing  his  name  in  full,  as  above. 

On  the  23d  of  March,  1882,  at  Mrs.  Green's,  among 
other  communications,  was  the  following  : 

"  Dear  Papa — All  of  your  Swedish  friends  are  here, 
and  intend  to  use  their  influence  to-day  and  give  you 
a  surprise  before  the  seance  is  over.  All  are  present 
except  Swedenborg,  who  we  expect  very  soon.  We 
are  not  sure  of  success,  but  we  intend  to  try.  The 
surprise  will  be  Grandpa  Franks  trying  to  communi- 
cate inside  of  the  double  slate,  with  your  assistance 
holding  the  slate  and  all  of  your  friends  influence 
combined.  Madam  Ehrenborg  withheld  her  message 
to-day  to  add  her  strength  and  help  grandpa  with  his 
surprise  to  mamma  and  you.     =i^     *     *     Swedenborg 


44  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

has  come  ;  get  the  slate.     This  is  all  jou  will  get  from 
me  to-day.     Your  loving  son,  Emil." 

"We  cleaned  the  double  slate  and  put  It  under  the 
table,  where  I  hold  on  to  one  end  of  it  and  pressed 
the  two  slates  together  with  my  hand,  while  Mrs. 
Green  held  the  other  end,  and  we  both  felt  and  heard 
the  writing  going  on  inside  the  two  slates.  The 
writing  continued  about  ten  minutes,  after  which  a 
tap  was  heard,  when  I  took  the  slate  out,  opened  it, 
and  in  my  father-in-law's  handwriting  found  the  fol- 
lowing communication,  Avhich  I  had  photographed 
and  electrotyped  as  seen  opposite  : 

On  the  23d  of  July,  from  9  to  11  a,  m.,  at  Mrs. 
Green's,  I  had  cheerful  writings  from  our  three  sons 
and  grand-daughter,  Julia  Math  first,  and  afterwards 
there  appeared  on  the  slate  the  following  communi- 
cation in  the  Swedish  language  : 

"  Dyra  goda  wiin  C.  J.  Ilelleberg  !  Jag  prsenterar 
dig  miu  Hogaktning  och  evinnerlig  wiinskap. 

"  Fredrika  Ehrenborg." 

"Which,  translated  into  English  is: 
"  Dear,  good  friend  C.  J.  Helleberg,  I  present  you 
my  esteem  and  eternal  friendship. 

"  Fredrika  Ehrenborg." 

I  had  it  photographed,  as  shown. 


h  \  \ 


u  s\  \ 


\X! 


w  T 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  45 


CHAPTER  IX. 

INFORMATION   OF     A     SPIRITUAL    MARRIAGE — THE   WEDDINGf 
AND    THE   WEDDING    TOUR   TO    THE    PLANET   MARS. 

For  a  long  lime  I  had  regular  slate-writing  seances 
in  the  light  and  one  dark  trumpet  seance  every  week 
at  Mrs.  Green's  residence,  No.  309  Longworth  street, 
and  at  that  time  were  generally  present  the  following 
persons  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stebhins,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor, Mrs.  Remlin,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ilelleberg,  all  of  Cin- 
cinnati, and  Mrs.  Bogg,  from  T^ewport,  Ky.  In  these 
trumpet  seances  the  spirits  not  only  played  on  musical 
insti^uments,  which  they  carried  over  oar  heads,  and 
very  often  touched  us  with  them  and  their  hands,  hut 
talked  and  sung  to  us  with  or  without  the  trumpet. 
The  12tli  of  January,  1882,  our  son  Emil  astonished 
us  with  the  information  that  he  was  going  to  marry 
Miss  Ida,  the  spirit  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steb- 
hins, and  that  she  would  be  his  spirit  wife.  In  a 
slate-writing  seance,  the  16th  of  January,  he  informed 
me  that  Mr.  Swedenborg  would  perform  the  nuptial 
ceremony,  and  who  also  had  determined  the  wedding 
to  take  place  on  Washington's  birthday — the  22d  of 
February.  We  were  also  informed  that  the  spirit, 
Mr.  Henry  ISTieman,  Ida's  cousin,  would  be  the 
groomsman,  and  the  spiritual  Miss  Mary  Muth  her 
bridesmaid,  and  that  a  bridal  trip  had  been  arranged 
in  which  many  bright  and  exalted  spirits  would  take 
part,  including  Madam  Ehrenborg.  Mr.  Swenden- 
borg  would  make  the  wedding  speech  on  the  spiritual 


46  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

side,  and  he  requested  Mr.  Green  to  make  one  on  this 
side.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stebbins,  me  and  my  wife,  agreed 
that  this  remarkable  wedding  ceremony  should  take 
place  at  Mr.  Stebbins'  residence  at  the  appointed 
time — the  22d  of  Februar}^ — and  we  concluded  to  ask 
the  spirits  who  Ave  should  invite,  and  the  16th  day  of 
February,  1882,  came  on  the  slate  the  following  names : 
"  Pa  and  ma  Stebbins,  papa  and  mamma  Helleberg, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  and  daughter,  Mrs.  Emma  Muth, 
Mrs.  Remlin,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  Miss  Xettie  Will- 
iams, and  Mrs.  Keenan.  Emil  axd  Ida." 

At  a  slate-writing  seance,  the  20th  of  February, 
came  on  the  slate,  among  many  other  communica- 
tions, the  following : 

"  The  ceremonies  are  to  begin  at  four,  and  imme- 
diately after  congratulation,  supper.  It  will  take  one 
hour,  Mr.  Swedenborg  says,  to  show  the  medium 
the  ceremony  and  Mr.  Green's  address.  When  the 
vision  is  through,  then  Mr.  Green,  then  supper,  and, 
after  that  is  settled,  a  trumpet  seance.  Emil." 

According  to  this  arrangement  the  above  persons 
were  all  invited  and  present,  except  Mrs.  Keenan  and 
Miss  K"ettie  Williams,  who  could  not  come,  at  the 
afternoon  and  evening  seances  the  22d,  the  150th 
anniversary  of  Washington's  birthday.  In  the  after- 
noon we  assembled  at  3  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  at  4  Mrs. 
Green  was  in  full  trance,  and  Swedenborg  controlled 
her  and  blessed  the  contracting  parties,  after  which 
Mr.  Green  made  a  very  appropriate  and  beautiful 
address.  A  private  clairvoyant  fell  in  a  trance  and 
described  not  only  the  clothing  of  the  bride  and  bride- 
groom, but  many  other  spirits  present.     The  bride's 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  47 

dress  was  pure,  sparkling  white,  frosted  with  gold 
dust,  with  long  train  full  of  the  finest  lace,  and  a  very 
beautiful  veil,  frosted  also,  and  adorned  with  a  hand- 
some wreath  on  her  head  of  white  flowers  set  with 
three  beautiful  diamonds  on  her  forehead.  She  had 
also  a  diamond  brooch  and  necklace,  with  a  splendid 
ring  on  her  finger,  and  slippers  on  her  feet  to  match. 
Our  son  Emil  had  knee-breeches  of  royal  purple,  with 
a  beautiful  white  toga  frosted  with  gold,  and  gold 
tassels  and  a  purple  and  gold  crown  set  with  dia- 
monds. (At  a  subsequent  seance  Emil  said  :  "  Mine 
was  Mr.  Swedenborg's  selection,  Ida's  was  Madam 
Ehrenborg's.")  During  the  trance  state  of  Mrs. 
Green,  the  spirit  Winnie  described  the  dresses  in  the 
same  way  as  the  private  medium  already  had  told  us. 
After  we  had  had  a  splendid  repast  the  requested 
trumpet  seance  was  arranged,  at  which  all  were  pres- 
ent, and  had  the  pleasure  of  being  spoken  to  by 
Swedenborg,  Emil,  Ida,  and  many  other  spirits,  and 
some  of  them  patted  us  with  their  hands.  Madam 
Ehrenborg  and  my  wife's  father,  Otto  Jacob  Natt-och- 
Dag  (Frederick  Franks),  sung  Swedish  with  me,  and 
Mrs.  Jennie  McKee  took  my  hand  and  lifted  my  arm 
up  and  putting  it  over  the  table  so  I  had  to  rise.  It 
was  a  beautiful  and  most  satisfactory  and  wonderful 
manifestation  over  which  we  all  were  highly  de- 
lighted. 

The  23d  of  February,  1882,  came  from  our  spirit 
friends  the  following : 

"  Good  morning,  dear  papa,  we  are  here  jet,  but 
will  immediately  after  this  sitting  start  on  our  bridal 
tour,  accompanied  by  Swedenborg  and  a  great  many 
exalted  spirits.     "We  expect  to  return  by  next  Thurs- 


48  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

day,  then  Mr.  Swedenborg  will  give  the  marriage 
ceremonies,  and  we  hope  to  have  something  nice  to 
write  yon  then.  Mr.  Swedenborg  is  very  mnch 
pleased  because  he  is  able  to  speak  and  control  Mrs. 
Green,  and  was  very  mnch  pleased  also  with  the  way 
it  was  conducted  on  your  side.  He  says  altogether 
it  was  a  splendid  affair  on  both  sides,  and  I  think  so 
too,  and  now  I  will  let  my  wife,  Mrs.  Ida  Ilelleberg, 
write.     Your  loving  son,  Emil  IIelleberg." 

"  Good  morning,  dear  papa  Helleberg  ;  Emil  makes 
me  blush  when  he  says  my  wife..  It  used  to  be  a 
joke,  but  now  it  is  a  reality,  and  that  is  quite  differ- 
ent. When  we  all  meet  on  the  evergreen  shores  of 
the  summerland,  then  we  will  return  the  compliment 
and  have  the  infair  at  our  own  home,  no  matter  how 
far  off  it  may  be,  j^ou  shall  always  receive  our  hos- 
pitality and  our  love  in  the  cottage.  With  my  heart 
full  of  love  for  you  and  dear  mamma  Ilelleberg  and 
sister  Emma,  and  my  dear  pa  and  ma,  and  Mrs. 
Green's  family,  I  bid  you  good  morning. 

Ida  Stebbins  Helleberg." 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Helleberg :  I  was  very  much 
delighted  with  the  exercises  of  yesterday  afternoon 
and  evening.  It  could  not  have  been  more  perfect 
on  both  sides.  I  was  with  you  all  the  time.  It  was 
witnessed  by  thousands  of  spirits  with  much  interest 
and  delight.  Whatever  Mr.  Swedenborg  does  in  the 
spirit  world  causes  great  commotion  and  interest.  He 
is  in  the  spirit  Avorld  like  some  of  your  great  men 
here,  a  leader.  His  every  word,  look,  and  gesture,  is 
chronicled  by  the  spirits;  therefore  you  may  imagine 
the  interest  they  manifest  towards  him.     ^^Tettie  could 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  49 

not  and  would  not  leave  mother.  She  is  so  lonely 
without  me,  but  she  was  here  heart  and  soul  in  spirit. 
With  my  highest  regards  for  you  all,  I  am  your  friend, 

Jennie." 

"  Good  morning,  my  dear  friend  :  As  the  marriage 
of  our  grand-daughter  to  your  son  has  united  my 
son  Edward  and  your  family,  and  that  event  caused 
or  rather  brought  us  in  a  positive  condition,  and  en- 
abled us  to  pick  up  the  trumpet  and  manifest  our  ap- 
preciation of  that  event,  I  thought  I  would  write  a 
few  lines  in  regard  to  this  happy  marriage,  and  to 
show  our  very  high  appreciation  of  this  medium's 
family,  for,  as  Ida  said,  it  has  brought  sunshine  to  her 
dear  pa  and  ma  that  they  could  not  find  any-where 
else  outside  the  spirit  communion,  and  express  our 
very  high  appreciation  of  your  son  Emil,  and  that 
we  feel  very  proud  of  them  both,  and  of  our  hearts 
full  of  love  for  Edwin  and  his  wife,  and  highest  re- 
gards for  yourself  and  family  and  Mrs.  Green's  fam- 
ily, we  subscribe  ourselves  your  dear  spirit  friends, 
"  Amariah  Stebbins  and  Permelia  Stebbins." 

"  Good  morning,  my  friends,  Mr.  Ilelleberg  and 
Mrs.  Green:  To  say  I  was  very  much  delighted,  or, 
in  fact,  I  have  not  language  at  my  command  to  ex- 
press to  you  my  appreciation  of  yesterday's  proceed- 
ings, and  happy  of  the  opportunity  presented  that  I 
can  write  to-day.  Winnie  described  me  as  I  was. 
Love  to  my  dear  daughter  and  her  husband  (Edwin 
Stebbins),  and  regard  to  all,  Thomas  Kelly." 

"  Good  morning,  dear  son  :  Father,  brother,  and 
all  of  us  are  here  to  give  you  our  congratulations  and 


50  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

to  tell  you  how  much  we  love  dear  Ida,  and  that  she 
is  so  sweet  and  beautiful.  We  were  all  with  you  last 
night,  and  caressed  you  with  the  trumpet.  It  made 
us  so  happy.  Father  can  not  write  to-day,  but  will 
soon.  With  our  blessings  on  you  and  all,  your  loving 
mother,  Ulrica  Helleberg." 

"Good  morning:  I  must  not  ftiil  to  give  a  few 
words  in  appreciation  of  the  marriage  feast.  It  was 
splendid,  and  I  was  very  much  pleased  with  the  cere- 
mony spiritually  and  mortal.  Love  to  dear  Anna 
and  yourself  and  highest  regard  to  all.  Francis, 
Emily,  Susan  and  Joseph  join  me  and  send  much  love 
to  all.  With  my  prayers  for  you  all,  1  bid  you  good 
bye.  Fredrick  Franks." 

"  Now,  dear  papa,  we  are  all  through,  and  Guthof 
and  Charles  join  in  congratulations,  and  asked  me 
to  write  for  them,  and  tell  you  that  they  are  so  much 
pleased  with  their  sister-in-law.  Mary,  Henry,  and 
little  Julia  and  Clarence,  and  many  that  I  have  not 
time  to  mention,  join  us  with  much  love  for  all.  Two 
souls  with  but  a  single  thought,  two  hearts  that  beat 
as  one,  we  bid  you  good  bye,  Emil  and  Ida." 

The  2d  of  March  came  :  "  Good  morning,  my  dear 
friend.  The  tourists,  according  to  promise,  have  not 
returned.  I  have  been  sent  as  a  messenger  from  Mr. 
Swedenborg  to  report  to  you  that  their  reception  on 
the  planet  Mars  was  so  grand,  and  they  are  there  so 
nicely  entertained  by  the  spirits  of  that  planet  that 
they  have  all  been  invited  to  participate  in  a  similar 
feast  to  take  place  to-day,  and  they  all  send  their 
love  and  best  wishes  to  you,  and  hope  to  be  with 


SrirJT   COMMUNICATIONS.  51 

yon  fit  your  next  sitting.  With  my  highest  regard 
and  well  wishes  for  yonr  future  prosperity,  I  am  your 
spirit  friend,  Polheim." 

The  Gth  of  March  the  exalted  Swedenhorg  wrote 
on  the  slate :  "Good  morning,  friends:  I  am  here 
to  give  you  the  marriage  ceremony  I  promised  in 
pantomine  on  the  22d  ultimo.  It  is  brief,  and  does 
not  include  the  address  and  prayer  given  on  that  oc- 
casion. *  *  5i^  As  you  have  already  been  united 
in  the  conjugal  sense  by  the  operation  of  the  laws  of 
spiritual  attraction  and  magnetic  affiliation,  no  formal 
cementation  or  consecration  is  needed,  but  in  obedi- 
ence to  an  ancient  custom,  originating  in  spirit  life 
in  the  early  dawns  of  the  physical  earth-planet,  and 
from  thence  projected  to  mortal  life,  I  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  pronouncing  the  ceremon}'  that  blends  you,  in 
obedience  to  the  custom  stated,  into  blissful  spiritual 
consociation  as  man  and  wife,  which  I  now  do  in 
presence  of  the  invited  guests  here  assembled.  In 
blissful  happiness  you  are  to  live  in  peaceful  joy,  to 
move  in  heavenly  love  to  act,  so  shall  your  onward 
march  be  unobstructed,  and  as  you  advance  increas- 
ing in  wisdom,  expanding  and  abounding  in  love, 
and  augmenting  in  power  until  the  highest  angels 
and  seraphims  shall  claim  you  for  angelic  companion- 
ship. J^ow,  while  the  choristers  join  in  thy  mar- 
riage anthem,  I  present  for  your  congratulations  this 
spiritually  mated  couple,  who  I  now  introduce  as 
Emil  Gabriel  Helleberg  and  Ida  Stebbins  Ilelleberg. 

Emanuel  Swedenborg." 

Just  as  Madam  Ehrenborg's  communications  were 


52  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

bcins^  copied  for  the  printer,  the  *'  Banner  of  Light" — 
the  oldest  spiritual  paper  in  existence — of  date  July 
1,  1882,  was  placed  in  ra3^  hands,  in  which  I  find  a 
communication  from  Helen  Barnard  Densmore,  of 
Philadelphia,  in  which  she  says: 

"  Philadelphia  has  been  favored  recently  with  a 
course  of  lectures  from  Mr.  W.  J.  Colville,  which 
have  been  well  attended  and  received  with  apprecia- 
tion. This  truly  inspired  speaker  is  doing  a  great 
work  in  spreading  the  new  gospel  of  spiritualism 
wherever  he  is  called.  His  discourses  are  of  a  high 
order,  in  an  intellectual  and  literary  sense,  as  well  as 
of  great  spiritual  elevation.  At  one  of  the  social  re- 
ceptions given  to  him  at  the  residence  of  Colonel  S. 
P.  Kase,  he  gave  a  very  interesting  discourse  on  the 
physical  life  and  development  of  the  planets  of  our 
solar  system  as  compared  with  the  earth,  which  was 
listened  to  with  an  earnest  attention  and  evident  ac- 
ceptance by  those  present.  It  was  taught  in  this  dis- 
course that  worlds  were  brought  into  existence  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  furnishing  a  theater  for  souls  to  ex- 
press themselves  in  matter  upon,  to  the  end  of  gain- 
ing knowledge  and  overcoming  temptations  in  all 
forms  and  of  all  kinds;  that  these  lives  make  up  a 
system  of  embodiments  which  closes  with  the  soul's 
triumph  over  all  the  evils  to  be  found  in  material  life. 

"  We  were  told  that  in  Mercury  the  attainment  of 
a  high  degree  of  physical  perfection  was  the  highest 
ambition  of  its  inhabitants ;  that  that  planet  was  in 
a  lower  state  of  animal,  vegetable  and  spiritual  pro- 
gress than  the  earth,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil 
was  their  almost  universal  occupation ;  that  Venus 
was  in  a  high  state  of  artistic  and  aesthetic  cultiva- 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  5B 

tion;  that  art  and  music  were  the  dominant  passions 
there,  with  less  intellectual  and  spiritual  development, 
sensuous  delights  every-where  abounding,  and  the 
cultivation  of  the  beautiful  the  highest  aim  of  life. 
On  the  earth  the  demon  to  be  overcome  was  declared 
to  be  intellectualism,  man's  intellect  being  here  wor- 
shiped and  deilied  at  the  expense  of  the  spiritual. 

"  On  Mars  and  Jupiter  is  to  be  found  a  much  higher 
state  of  existence,  matter  being  dominated  by  the 
spirit  to  a  much  greater  degree  than  on  either  this 
earth  or  those  planets  nearest  'the  sun ;  that  exalted 
spirits  from  those  planets,  especially  from  Mars,  are 
sent  as  especial  embodiments  to  the  earth,  as  teachers 
and  messengers  for  spiritual  truth. 

"  Life  on  the  more  distant  planets  from  the  sun,  be- 
yond Jupiter,  was  declared  to  be  of  such  an  exalted 
character  that  there  is  no  language  understandable  on 
earth  in  which  to  depict  its  glories  and  achievements.'* 


54  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   JOURNEY   TO    MARS,   AND   WONDERFUL 
INFORMATION   FURNISHED    BY    MADAM   EHRENBORG. 

"  March  9, 1882.  Our  party  of  tourists,  after  having 
been  carefully  selected  iu  accordance  with  their  abil- 
ity to  utilize  the  magnetic  currents  that  connect  the 
planets  in  our  solar  system,  and  their  adaptability  to 
the  electric  and  magnetic  condition  of  Mars,  whither 
we  were  bound,  started  on  the  journey  at,  according 
to  your  time,  midniglit,  February  23.  We  proceeded 
without  any  incident  of  note  until  we  reached  Maluka 
Plains,  where  we  met  a  party  of  excursionists  on  a 
visit  to  our  planet  earth.  Maluka  Plains,  named  after 
a  great  prophet  of  Mars,  are  located  many  millions 
of  miles  from  the  circling  magnetic  belts  of  earth,  and 
immediately  adjacent  to  the  outer  circle  of  the  electro- 
magnetic atmosphere  of  Mars.  We  were  surprised 
to  iind  that  these  excursionists  were  acqainted  with 
our  guide  and  leader,  Mr.  Swedenborg,  for  ho  had 
frequently  visited  the  most  interesting  points  of  our 
stellar  system.  He  had  even  been  at  Mars  in  spirit 
while  he  was  in  tlie  body  of  flesh,  but  he  finds  many 
things  quite  different  from  what  he  thought  he  had 
discovered  during  his  spiritual  visits  when  embodied. 
The  party  we  met  were  on  a  tour  of  scientific  explo- 
ration, and  gladly  availed  themselves  of  information 
imparted  by  Swedenborg  and  Polheim,  and  we  in  re- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  55 

turn  were  greatly  aided  by  data  and  inrormation  fur- 
nished by  them  to  us.  While  this  conference, or  rather 
exchange  of  information,  was  in  progress  a  courier 
was  dispatched  by  our  newly-made  acquaintances  to 
the  spiritual  magnates  of  Mars  concerning  our  com- 
ing. I  shall  here  stop  and  defer  a  description  of  our 
first  reception  until  our  next  sitting. 

"  March  13.  As  we  entered  within  the  magnetic  ra- 
-dius  of  Mars,  and  were  emerging  from  the  outer  into 
the  inner  concentric  circles,  so  characteristic  of  that 
planet,  we  mot  a  reception  committee  of  several  thou- 
sand, and  after  formal  greetings,  we  were  escorted  to 
a  magnificent  edifice,  where  were  in  waiting  innumer- 
able throngs  of  spiritual  dignitaries  and  others  to 
receive  us.  I  here  desire  to  remark  that  in  my  use  of 
words  I  resort  to  your  own  vocabulary,  for  the  thought 
language  of  the  Marsians  is. quite  different  from  the 
sound  of  }'Our  words,  and  to  employ  their  terms  would 
only  confound  you  and  militate  against  your  proper 
conception  and  understanding  of  the  narrative.  For 
instance,  I  use  the  word  edifice  to  indicate  a  structure, 
but  they  use  an  entirely  different  term  and  form  of 
expression,  and  so  on  ad  infinitum..  The  edifice  refer- 
red to  I  am  unable  to  describe,  and  it  can  only  be  fully 
understood  in  thought.  In  dimensions  so  great  that 
your  city  of  Cincinnati  could  bo  settled  in  one  corner 
of  it  without  attracting  but  very  little  attention.  The 
material  of  which  it  is  composed  has  no  fitting  repre- 
sentative on  earth  in  its  present  state  of  development. 
Your  diamonds  and  precious  stones  are  as  dim  and 
unreflecting  in  comparison  as  a  cloudy,  murky  day  of 
autumn  is  to  a  brio^ht  summer  dav  with  the  sun  at 
meridian  and  the  horizon  unobstructed  by  cloud  or  a 


56  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

single  mist.  This  comparison  may  serve  to  give  you 
some  idea  of  tlie  absorbingly  intense  brilliancy  of  the 
mammoth  structure,  yet  this  is  of  itself  but  as  a  mote 
in  the  sunbeam  to  what  I  am  assured  exists  in  the  im- 
measurable immensity  of  the  higher  creations  in  the 
inconceivable  and  boundless  universe  of  God.  Oh, 
how  diminutive  is  this  little  ball  of  matter  called 
earth,  when  we  only  measurably  take  in  the  vast  im- 
mensity of  the  infinite  domain  of  God.  And  poor, 
puny  man,  what  a  mere  speck — a  mere  infinitisimal 
animalcule.  As  we  approached  this  mammoth  struc- 
ture, it  seemed  to  be  tremulous  with  motion,  and  the 
motion,  superinduced  by  such  intensely  penetrating, 
soul  dazzling  strains  of  music  as  to  perfectly  appal 
with  ecstatic  emotion  our  enraptured  tourists.  But 
for  the  preparation  of  us  for  it  by  the  scientific  spirits, 
who  they  called  the  Ulaetta,  we  could  not  have  with- 
stood it.  I  will  give  you  this  process  of  preparation 
on  some  future  occasion,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  be  in- 
teresting to  you  and  valuable  when  you  come  over. 
The  ceremonies  of  reception  were  performed,  not  in 
speech,  but  in  musical  opera,  which,  singular  to  state, 
we  were  enabled  to  understand  by  the  preparation 
mentioned.  When  I  say  musical  opera  I  do  not  mean 
singing  accompanied  by  music,  but  that  the  music 
itself  was  intensely  operatic,  and  infused  thought  by 
the  most  astonishing  and  utterly  inexplicable  process 
into  our  interior  soul  consciousness.  It  was  some- 
thing worth  years  of  suffering  and  pain  to  enjoy,  and 
in  contemplating  its  inconceivable  grandeur  I  return 
to  my  own  sphere,  feeling  how  little  I  am,  and  to 
weep  for  the  children  of  earth,  still  in  ignorance  and 
superstition,  and  I  lift  my  voice  in  prayerful  suppli- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIOXS.  57 

cation  to  God  to  rend  the  veil,  that  poor  humanity 
may  obtain  even  faint  glimpses  of  the  gorgeous  splen- 
dors of  God's  great  kingdom ;  but  I  seem  to  hear  a 
voice  answering,  N"ot  yet ;  wait  and  be  patient. 

"  March  20.  "We  observed  the  most  singular  fact 
connected  with  the  edifice  wherein  we  were  received. 
In  approaching  it  we  were  unable  to  penetrate  into 
its  interior  with  our  vision.  It  seemed  to  be  a  solid 
mass  of  exquisitely  fine  material,  but  on  gaining  ad- 
mission into  its  interior,  by  some  peculiar  power  that 
seemed  to  affect  our  spiritual  vision  and  perceptions, 
we  were  enabled  to  see  through  and  beyond  it,  and 
to  perceive  objects  in  the  far  distance.  In  other  words, 
the  whole  structure  seemed  to  vanish  so  far  as  to  per- 
mit no  obstruction  to  our  vision  far  beyond  its  lim- 
its, and  yet  it  were  thoroughly  substantial,  composed 
of  finely  attenuated  and  spiritually  sublimated  mate- 
rial. I  have  so  much  to  tell  you  that  I  must  forego 
the  pleasure  of  indulging  in  details,  however  inter- 
esting they  might  be  to  you. 

"  The  presiding  personage  at  our  reception  was  a 
figure  of  tall  and  commanding  appearance,  with  a 
benevolent  face,  dignified  mien,  and  large  blue  eyes, 
that  seemed  constantly  tremulous  with  love  and  emo- 
tion. He  held  in  his  hand  a  magic  wand,  which  ever 
and  anon  he  would  wave,  and  in  harmony  with  these 
movements  the  most  enchanting  sounds  of  music 
seemed  to  be  wafted  far  out  in  the  viewless  spiritual 
ether  that  surrounded  and  enveloped  us.  This  won- 
derful fact  baffles  the  skill  of  mortal  pen  and  mortal 
language  to  describe,  and  you  must  be  content  with 
what  IS  said  as  the  best  that  can  be  said,  so  as  to  reach 
your  comprehension. 


58  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

"  As  I  caught  the  eye  of  this  great  presiding  spirit  I 
perceived  the  idea  emanating  from  liis  mind,  '  I  am 
glad  to  meet  you,'  yet  not  one  of  these  words  was 
spoken.  I  essayed  to  answer  to  express  my  thank- 
fulness for  his  friendly  recognition  of  us,  and  I  found 
I  could  not  speak  audibly,  but  my  thought  he  caught 
immediately,  and  bowed  in  acknowledgment.  lie  had 
been  many  thousands  of  years  before  a  sage  and  philos- 
opher on  the  planet  Mars,  and  bore  aliout  the  same 
relation  to  his  people  as  Mahomet,  Confucius,  Jesus, 
Swedcnborg  and  others  of  their  day  have  in  your 
world ;  and  he  is  pre-eminent  in  music.  All  the  great 
spirits  of  Mars  are  eminent  musicians.  !Music,  intel- 
lectual expansion  and  spiritual  growth  seem  to  be 
wedded,  and  go  hand  in  hand  together.  These  are 
wonderful  relations,  but  nevertheless  are  true. 

"  In  my  next  I  will  introduce  you  to  some  of  the  so- 
cieties and  cities  of  the  planet,  to  be  followed  from 
time  to  time  by  revelations  that  can  not  fail  to  im- 
press you  with  the  greatest  interest,  and  not  only  be 
interesting  and  instructive,  but  will  be  of  great  value 
to  you  in  your  after  life  in  the  spheres.  My  dear  and 
venerable  friend,  be  of  good  cheer,  and  in  the  sweet 
bye  and  bye  I  will  accompany  you  on  this  very  tour, 
and  then  j'ou  will  perceive  the  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  giving  a  description  so  as  to  be  understood  by  mor- 
tals. 

"  March  27.  After  the  ceremonies  of  reception,  the 
details  of  which,  fully  set  forth,  would  lill  a  large  vol- 
ume, wo  set  out  under  the  escort  of  a  select  delega- 
tion of  fortj^'-sevcn  in  number  on  a  tour  of  inspec- 
tion, a  few  only  of  the  incidents  of  which  I  can  im- 
perfectly touch.     Many  things  observed  by  us  I  am 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  59 

not  at  liberty  to  mention,  for  the  all-sufficient  reason 
tliat  you  would  not  understand  them  and  the  world 
is  not  prepared  to  receive  them. 

"  Our  first  visit  was  to  a  society  of  literary  celebri- 
ties, located  in  a  city  of  marvelous  beauty.  For  our 
present  use  we  will  call  the  place  the  City  of  Learn- 
ing, and  the  society,  the  Society  of  the  Literati.  These 
names  are  not  the  real  ones,  but  serve  our  purpose 
fully  as  well,  indeed  much  better.  The  city  is  located 
on  the  border  of  a  vast  expanse  of  water  of  a  golden 
hue,  and  this  limpid  stream  is  a  vast  musical  organ  of 
sounds,  whose  very  vibrations,  as  its  currents  flow 
along,  disturb  the  surrounding  atmosphere,  resulting 
in  the  production  of  harmonies  in  musical  intonations, 
not  only  delightfully  enrapturing,  but  far  beyond  the 
power  of  portrayal  in  human  speech.  ^Ya  stood  upon 
its  brink,  and  were  enchanted  by  its  soul-piercing  mel- 
ody. Ever  and  anon  the  mellowed  rays  of  the  spir- 
itual sun  of  our  solar  system  would  strike  upon  the 
bosom  of  this  majestic  stream,  producing  in  their  re- 
bound such  marvelous,  scintillating  reflections  as  to 
cause  the  beautiful  tints  of  your  rainbow  to  pale  into 
utter  insignificance  in  comparison.  You  must  elab- 
orate in  your  own  mind  these  feeble  touches  of  my 
pen,  for  I  can  not  stop  to  give  minute  delineations, 
but  only  the  idea,  and  you  can  carry  it  onward  in 
your  imagination  without  fear  of  overdoing  the  pict- 
ure or  exaggerating  the  facts. 

"  The  ladies  and  gentlemen  composing  the  Society  of 
the  Literati  of  this  one  city  are  numbered  by  tlie 
many  thousands,  with  vast  numbers  of  co-operating 
branches  in  as  many  diflTorent  localities.  We  are  told 
that  there  exist  still  higher  branches,  which  we  were 


60  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

not  spiritually  fitted  to  visit  and  comprehend.  "We, 
as  spirits  from  earth,  lacked  planetary  development, 
butwe  have  the  promise  in  the  infinite  justice  of  God's 
eternal  laws  that  in  time,  though  very  far  distant,  our 
earth,  with  its  encircling  spiritual  spheres,  will  reach 
unto  the  gorgeous  grandeur  of  Mars.  Here  let  me 
pause  and  reflect. 

"  March  29.  Herein  may  be  found  ample  food  for 
study,  inspiring  elements  for  reflection  : 

"  First — How  almighty  is  God,  yet  puny  man  is  won- 
dering whether  there  is  a  God. 

"  Second — How  grand  and  noble  may  all  his  children 
become. 

"  Third — How  patiently  does  God,  through  inflexible 
and  unerring  law,  work  out  such  stupendous  results. 

"  Fourth — Man  while  in  the  flesh  would  arrogate 
unto  himself  the  attributes  of  a  God,  when  in  truth  it 
requires  ages  of  efibrt  and  progress  only  to  disclose  to 
him  that  yet  he  is  not  yet  an  angel.  But  still  how 
grand  are  the  possibilities  before  man,  inviting  him 
onward.  They  can  not  be  fully  conceived  by  the 
finite  mind,  much  less  described. 

"  We  saw  many  translucent  streams,  whose  pellucid 
waters  were  charming  to  behold.  There  is  a  law  ap- 
pertaining to  all  advanced  spiritual  intelligences  that 
induces  the  profoundest  meditation,  a  sublimest  ado- 
ration, when  beholding,  although  only  partially,  the 
infinite  variety  and  splendors  of  the  creation  ;  and  I 
must  occasionally  pause  in  my  narrative  to  give  ex- 
pression to  this  law  of  my  soul. 

"We  were  next  conducted  to  a  vast  building,  wherein 
was  deposited  the  grandest  library  of  books,  and  they 
were  simply  collections  on  scientific  subjects  alone. 


SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS.  61 

Elsewhere  were  vast  collections  on  other  subjects  not 
intimately  connected  with  science — books  as  tangible 
and  objective  to  us  as  the  slate  on  which  I  am  Avriting 
is  to  your  touch  and  sight.  Mr.  Swedenborg,  being 
naturally  of  a  scientific  turn  of  mind,  became  absorb- 
ingly interested  in  this  department,  and  it  was  with 
reluctance  he  took  his  departure  therefrom.  He  made 
arrangements  to  return  to  study  some  things  to  be 
found  here  and  which  he  has  not  been  able  to  find 
elsewhere.  He  is  promised  aid  by  the  members  of 
the  Society  of  the  Literati. 

"We  then  visited  an  assembly  of  representative  men, 
and  I  am  now  about  to  tell  you  something  that  will 
surprise  you,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true.  When  I  use 
the  expression  representative  men  I  mean  that  each 
planet  has  representatives  to  every  other  planet  in  the 
solar  system.  I  must  reserve  the  next  sitting  for  a 
description  of  the  grand  system  of  planetary  diplo- 
macy— envoys  extraordinary  or  ministers  plenipoten- 
tiary, as  you  would  call  them.  The  power  is  too 
nearly  exhausted  to  enter  upon  the  subject  at  this  sit- 
ting. "We  notify  you  now  that  by  these  ministrations 
and  recitals  you  are  living  many,  many  years  in  ad- 
vance of  this  age  of  your  planet. 

"April  3.  In  your  solar  system  you  only  claim  eight 
planets,  exclusive  of  the  Asteroids  between  Mars  and 
Jupiter,  but  the  truth  is  there  are  thirteen  in  num- 
ber; five  of  them  have  long  since  passed  into  their 
spiritual  orbits,  and  consequently  are  not  objective  to 
your  telescopes,  and  this  state  is  to  be  the  ultimate  of 
all  planets.  Every  planet,  including  the  earth,  is  con- 
tinually undergoing  change,  that  is  to  say,  gradually 
passing  from  the  gross  to  the  more  refined,  and  by  a 


62  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

Gontiiiually  advancing  series  of  geologic  and  progress- 
ive changes  Ironi  the  lower  to  the  higher,  from  the 
crude  to  the  more  refined,  from  the  material  toward 
the  spiritual,  all  Avill  ultimately  in  time  pass  into  spir- 
itual conditions  or  orbits.  But  as  this  theme  is  scien- 
tific, and  not  directly  in  the  line  of  or  pertinent  to  my 
narrative,  I  will  abandon  it,  at  least  for  the  present. 

"  In  my  last  I  told  you  that  each  planet  was  favored 
with  representatives  from  every  other  planet  in  our 
system,  and  it  is  from  this  system,  spiritually  orig- 
inating, that  you  have  derived  your  system  of  inter- 
national representation.  I  do  not  mean  that  any  spirit 
communicated  this  to  the  nations,  but  that  in  the 
early  formation  of  nationalities  and  the  commercial 
intercourse  between  nations,  susceptible  public  men, 
by  reason  of  their  exceeding  impressibility,  got  the 
inspiration  from  surrounding  spiritual  influences,  and 
to  a  certain  degree  and  extent  carried  it  into  execu- 
tion in  the  establishment  of  ambassadorial  relations 
between  friendly  governmental  powers.  But  there 
is  a  marked  diiFerence  between  your  nations  and  the 
spiritual  worlds  in  the  objects  and  purposes  of  such 
system.  In  the  spiritual  worlds  representatives  are 
deputed  one  to  the  other  for  an  entirely  different  pur- 
pose from  yours  in  sending  ministers  to  England, 
France,  Russia,  etc.  Your  accredited  agents  of  gov- 
ernment abroad  are  simply  spies  to  Avatch  other  coun- 
tries, lest  some  trivial  advantage  may  be  gained  against 
you  in  some  minor  and  unimportant  matter.  Selfish- 
ness is  the  law  by  which  they  are  to  be  governed. 
They  are  expected  to  be,  and  generally  are,  lorded 
and  feasted,  dined  and  wined,  all  in  the  high-sounding 
names  of  civilization  and  national  urbanity.     Ours 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  63 

are  sent  on  an  entirely  difForcnt  mission — to  gather 
knowledge  for  the  benefit  of  all.  Our  public  and 
representative  men  are  not  engaged  in  learning  the 
rules  and  laws  of  the  stock  market,  how  to  manipu- 
late it  and  how  to  create  corners  in  the  bountiful  pro- 
ductions vouchsafed  by  the  Infinite,  nor  how  to  se- 
cure safe  investments  with  large  and  profitable  mar- 
gins, but  to  learn  the  laws  of  the  planets,  to  the  end 
that  they  may  be  utilized  in  the  development  and 
progress  of  their  varied  and  numerous  peoples. 
Through  whatever  other  planets,  farther  advanced 
than  ours— have  passed,  we,  too,  must  pass,  and 
hence  by  our  representative  spirits  learning  of  their 
varied  progressive  experiences,  they  are  enabled  to 
prepare  for  and  assist  in  the  changes  that  must  inev- 
itably ensue. 

"  I  can  not  carry  my  thought  further  than  to  say  in 
addition  that  our  solar  system,  as  a  system  in  its  en- 
tirety, has  representatives  to  thousands  of  other  solar 
systems  revolving  in  space,  circling  around  their  re- 
spective central  suns.  Yon  perceive  that  our  grandeur 
of  creative  glory  is  looming  up  before  us  in  majestic 
proportions,  far  beyond  our  power  to  comprehend  and 
portray.  We  look  forward  with  great  pleasure  to 
each  succeeding  meeting,  when  we  hope  to  continue 
our  narrative  if  conditions  continue  to  favor  us. 

"  April  6.  After  feasting  in  the  examination  of  the 
library  of  the  Society  of  the  Literati  I  felt  an  intense 
desire  to  learn  something  in  regard  to  the  religious 
teachings  on  the  planet  in  its  past,  as  applied  to  the 
embodied  Marsians,  in  the  curious  desire  to  find  out 
whether  their  theological  and  religious  history  bore 
any  resemblance  to  ours,  and  if  dissimilar,  wherein 


04  SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

by  contrast  the  dissimilarity  consisted.  Of  course,  in 
the  very  nature  of  tilings,  this  opened  up  a  wide 
field  of  investigation,  and  I  can  only  give  you  points 
condensed  and  with  the  utmost  brevity,  and  without 
any  attempt  at  elaboration.  As  1  have  already  in- 
formed you,  the  denizens  of  Mars  do  not  use  our  lan- 
guage or  mode  of  speech,  and  therefore  I  am  com- 
pelled to  transfer  their  thoughts  into  our  language, 
and  3'ou  must  consider  that  much  will  be  lost  in  the 
transmission. 

"  The  planet  Mars,  in  point  of  time,  is  much  older 
than  the  earth,  and  consequently  has  passed  through 
many  more  changes ;  these  successive  changes  or 
epochs  have  had  their  respective  theologies,  and  I  was 
utterly  surprised  to  learn  that  in  some  respects  they 
resembled  ours — that  is  to  say,  their  earlier  theology 
— the  later  and  truer  has  no  resemblance  whatever  to 
ours  or  any  that  we  have  had  in  the  past.  The  people 
of  Mars  in  the  dim  and  distant  ages  of  the  bygone 
have  had  many  gods  and  many  bibles.  Their  older 
books  or  bibles  are  now  treasured  as  simple  curiosi- 
ties belonging  to  the  infancy  of  the  race,  and  the 
wonder  now  is  how  it  was  possible  at  any  period  of 
their  history  that  a  people  could  be  found  seemingly 
so  hopelessly  ignorant  as  to  believe  them.  The  same 
fate,  my  friend,  awaits  your  Bibles,  Korans,  Zend- 
Avestas,  etc.  But  in  all  their  speculations  in  religion 
thev  were  never  taufirlit  to  believe  that  their  remote 
ancestors  had  fallen  from  an  imaginary  state  of  per- 
fection, nor  that  somebody  else's  sufferings  and  death 
were  imperatively  necessary  to  extricate  them  from 
the  peril,  and  to  reinstate  them  into  the  loving  esteem 
and  saving  grace  of  their  creator.     While  they  had 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  65 

many  follies  in  their  early  history,  they  had  none  like 
unto  our  own.  They  never  believed  God  to  be  angry 
and  revengeful  nor  that  he  would  ever  destroy  their 
own  or  any  other  world  by  water,  fire  or  otherwise, 
nor  that  men  were  made  out  of  dust  and  women 
from  ribs,  nor  that  fish  swallowed  men,  preserved 
them  in  good  condition  in  their  stomachs,  and  deliv- 
ered them  subsequently  and  in  safety  upon  the  dry 
laud.  These  silly  recitals  of  your  bible  will  be  ridi- 
culed and  laughed  at  some  of  these  coming  happy 
days." 

"April  10:  If  you  could  be  instantaneously 
transferred  to  the  planet  Mars  just  as  you  are  in  the 
form  you  could  not  live  a  moment  of  time.  The  in- 
tensely rarefied  and  ethereal ized  atmospheres  sur- 
rounding that  planet  would  not  maintain  animal  life 
such  as  yours.  Yet  the  time  has  been  when  beings  more 
crude,,  dense  and  undeveloped  have  lived  and  figured 
on  the  stage  of  Mar's  history.  The  law  of  evolution 
or  unceasing  progression  applies  to  all  planets  and  in 
a  degree  of  unfoldment  according  to  the  periodic  du- 
ration of  time  of  each.  Hence,  under  the  operation 
of  this  inexorable  law  of  the  creation  you  can  readily 
and  with  quick  discerning  eye  see  the  ultimate  des- 
tiny of  all — that  is  to  say,  the  utter  overcoming  of 
the  crude  and  unrefined  by  the  spiritual  absorption  of 
the  whole,  and  yet  this  law  that  lifts  the  lower  into 
the  higher  has  no  limit  or  ending.  You  can  there- 
fore see  in  the  myriad  ages  of  future  time  with  this 
law,  all  the  while  actively  working,  how  inexpressibly 
refined  and  sublimated  will  become  spiritual  beings 
and  spiritual  essences.  This  constitutes  a  grand  rev- 
elation, and  presents  in  contemplation  the  grand  pos- 


66  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

sibilitics  in  store  for  man  and  the  fittest  of  all  things 
material.  While  the  constituent  elements  are  the 
same,  yet  in  outward  manifestation  the  atoms  com- 
posing  your  physical  bodies,  and  those  in  the  form  on 
Mars,  are  quite  dissimilar.  The  same  elements  that 
exist  here,  either  as  applied  to  the  spiritual  or  mate- 
rial, are  essentially  the  same  as  exist  in  the  remotest 
realms  of  the  creation.  They  only  diflier  in  present- 
ation or  outward  manifestation,  and  in  the  degree  of 
their  development  and  progression.  Here  is  another 
theme  for  contemplation  and  study,  and  the  fact  as 
hero  disclosed  ought  to  fill  us  with  proud  satisfaction, 
for  the  inherent  elements  and  qualities  possessed  by 
the  millions  of  worlds,  revolving  in  the  unexplored 
immensity  of  space  and  their  countless  myriad  hosts 
of  people,  are  possessed  by  our  world  and  our  deni- 
zens, only  dififering  in  the  intensity  of  their  action 
and  the  degree  of  unfoldment  or  approximation  to- 
ward maturity — ah,  a  maturity  that  never  matures. 
While  the  law  of  jjrogression  is  infinite  it  deals  with 
the  finite,  and  as  the  finite  can  only  advance  toward 
but  never  become  infinite,  so  will  this  mighty  law  of 
progression  carry  us  onward  and  onward,  upward  and 
upward  through  all  coming  time,  and  yet  will  never 
cease  from  its  labors  or  find  repose.  What  a  mighty 
destiny  before  and  for  man  ! 

"April  14.  In  this  and  my  next  I  will  tell  you 
some  things  that  will  surprise  you,  but  they  are  veri. 
tably  true.  I  am  dealing  with  you  in  verities,  how- 
ever absurd  and  preposterous  they  may  appear  to  the 
unprogressed  mind.  This  is  said,  by  your  people,  to 
be  a  remarkable  age,  and  in  many  respects  it  is  so. 
You  are  receiving  some  matter  far  in  advance  of  the 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  67 

age  in  wliich  you  are  living,  but  it  will  bo  properly 
recognized  and  appreciated  in  the  years  to  come. 

"  On  the  planet  Mars  jails  and  prison  houses  for 
the  confinement  and  punishment  of  malefactors  are 
only  historic  reminiscences  of  the  past.  There  are 
now  no  punishments  inflicted  because  there  are  no 
offenders  to  punish. 

"  The  doctrine  of  sacrificial  atonement,  with  its  re- 
tarding influence,  was  never  taught  to  the  people  of 
that  planet.  They  have  always  been  tauglit  the  su- 
preme goodness  of  the  creator  conjoined  with  wisdom 
and  almighty  power.  God  being  supremely  good, 
and  supreme  in  the  exercise  of  goodness,  they  have 
not  for  thousands  of  years  last  past  entertained  the 
slightest  apprehension  that  any  onslaught  upon  their 
peace,  happiness,  and  future  felicity,  would  be  per- 
mitted. From  this  ennobling  conception  of  God  came 
the  desire  to  manifest  a  spirit  of  devotion  and  vener- 
ation, and  consequently  at  an  earlier  period  of  the 
history  of  Mars  the  worship  of  the  people  was  low 
and  groveling  somewhat  resembling,  as  I  am  informed, 
the  ancient  idol  worship  of  the  Egyptians  and  Israel- 
ites. At  the  present  time  the  two  worlds — the  spirit- 
ual and  material — of  Mars  are  so  closely  allied  and 
interblcnded  that  the  spiritual  forces  are  enabled  to 
exercise  a  positively  restraining  influence  over  the 
conduct  and  actions  of  those  still  connected  with  the 
physical,  so  they  can  not,  if  they  would,  commit 
wrong,  or  perpetrate  infractions  upon  the  law  of 
right.  By  reason  of  this  high  condition  of  develop- 
ment those  passing  out  of  the  material  form  arc  at 
once  intromitted  into  the  higher  conditions  of  the 
spiritual  world,  because  they  are  fitted  for  them.     All 


68  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

are  mediums  and  subject  absolutely  to  spiritual  action 
and  control.  This  is  what  your  spirit  world  is  seek- 
ing to  do  for  you,  so,  if  possible,  to  pass  over  and  be- 
yond some  of  the  rough  experiences  of  other  planets, 
and  3'our  people  do  not  seem  to  have  the  good  sense 
to  see  it.  On  Mars  there  are  no  murders,  arsons? 
robberies,  forgeries,  slanders,  and  other  crimes  and 
miscreants,  for  they  have  progressed  beyond  them. 
Do  you  not  perceive  the  sublimity  of  this  condition? 
and  will  it  not  be  a  most  glorious  consummation  when 
you  shall  have  reached  the  same  altitude  of  progress. 

"  April  17.  Another  subject  of  inquiry  engrossed 
my  attention,  namely,  marriage.  I  became  interested 
to  know  something  of  the  history  of  this  people  on 
this  subject,  and  I  found  it  to  be  an  exceedingly  in- 
teresting one.  At  this  period  of  Mars  there  is  no 
such  institution  as  marriage  in  the  sense  you  regard 
it.  It  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  a  very  large 
per  cent  of  your  marriages  are  brought  about  as  the 
result  of  the  most  unholy  motives.  Passion,  lust, 
avarice,  etc.,  are  generally  the  impelling  influences, 
and  seldom  is  witnessed  a  union  from  purely  spiritual 
causes.  It  is  needless  to  say  these  marriages  are  not 
only  temporal,  ending  with  the  death  of  the  body,  if  not 
sooner  by  an  unholy  judicial  system  of  divorcement, 
but  entail  a  cruel  blighting  curse  upon  the  race. 

"  The  history  of  your  own  planet  on  the  subject  of 
marriage  is  but  feebly  understood  by  you.  Enough 
however  is  known  to  induce  all  lovers  of  humanity 
to  loathe  and  detest  it  as  it  has  been  practiced  in  the 
past.  It  is  claimed  that  God  created  animate  crea- 
tures in  pairs,  male  and  female,  and  that,  as  applied  to 
man,  he  comcnted  a  union  of  one  man  and  one  woman 


■^.  / 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  09 

in  the  marriageTehition,  and  that  this  occurred  at  the 
commencement  of  the  creation  in  tlie  Garden  of  Eden. 
Your  conspicuous  bible  characters,  such  as  Abraham, 
Daniel,  Solomon,  and  others,  have  not  only  ignored 
and  trampled  upon  virtue  in  its  simplest  and  purest 
forms,  but  with  the  hellish  gluttony  of  the  vampire 
feasting  on  blood,  they  debauched  innocence,  prosti- 
tuted virtue  to  their  unholy  lust,  and  thereby  de- 
stroyed the  holiest  relation  of  life.  Their  numerous 
wives  and  concubines  attest  this,  and  yet  your  pious 
Christians  are  waging  a  relentless  warfare  upon  the 
Mormons  of  Utah  and  vehemently  thundering  against 
the  polygamous  practices  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints. 
Shame  for  Christian  consistency.  On  this  subject 
your  advanced  thinkers  do  not  discuss  those  eternal 
and  enduring  spiritual  laws  of  attraction  by  magnetic 
and  soul  affinity  upon  which  alone  shines  forth  in 
enternttl  splendor  the  blending  of  soul  with  soul  in 
an  everlasting  conjugal  union.  The  people  of  Mars 
understand  and  adopt  these  laws,  or  rather  harmonize 
and  abide  in  them,  and  now  while  embodied  their 
marriages  are  for  all  unending  future  time.  As  the 
result  we  discover  on  that  planet  a  race  of  people  al- 
most perfect  in  their  mental,  moral,  and  physical  de- 
velopments, requiring  only  time,  experience,  and 
progression,  to  disclose  the  still  more  wonderful  pro- 
portions of  their  being.  The  union  of  one  man  and 
one  woman  under  spiritual  conditions  is  the  highest 
type  of  marriage,  and  constitutes  the  paramount  and 
supreme  intention  of  the  deity,  and  is  the  ultimatum 
and  consummation  of  the  law  of  conjugal  laws — all 
others  are  fleeting,  dishonoring,  and  only  evil. 

"  April  20.    Your  candidates  for  matrimony,  first  ob- 


70  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

tainiiig  each  other's  consont,  and  the  approval  of  par- 
ents or  guardians,  apply  to  the  legally  constituted  au- 
thorities for  a  license  or  permit  to  enter  the  holy  state, 
'  and  when  procured  they  repair  to  a  priest  or  magis- 
trate, who  for  a  few  shekels  pronounces  a  few  stereo- 
typed phrases,  followed  hy  the  solemn  declaration 
pronouncing  them  man  and  wife,  closing  generally 
with  the  ludicrous  and  farcial  command,  '  whom  God 
has  joined  together  let  no  mnn  put  asunder.'  Oh, 
what  a  caricature  and  farce.  It  is  had  enough  fo  de- 
clare whom  the  law  has  joined  together,  and  so  forth, 
but  to  assume  with  such  solemn  gravity  that  God 
has  joined  in  wedlock's  sacred  union  many  of  the 
marria£:e  alliances  which  are  mere  caricatures  of 
marriage,  is  not  only  blasphemy,  but  the  very  apex 
of  nonsense,  and  is  the  widest  possible  departure  from 
truth. 

"  If  it  be  true  that  God  joins  them  together,  no 
power,  save  himself  could  put  asunder  or  disunite. 
To  assert  otherwise  would  amount  to  affirming  that 
God  is  the  author  of  failures.  The  difference  between 
marriages  thatonly  have  their  basis  in  consent,  license, 
and  ceremony,  and  that  marriage  which  God  cements 
when  two  are  joined  by  the  divine  laws  of  soul 
affinity  and  magnetic  attraction — the  one  is.  of  the 
earth  earthy,  the  otber  is  from  the  Lord  through  and 
by  the  operation  of  eternal  law,  and  is  therefore 
heavenly.  Oh,  that  the  children  of  earth  might  learn 
and  conform  to  these  subtle  and  glorious  laws  for 
their  own  good  and  in  the  interest  of  those  to  come 
after  thom. 

"  On  the  planet  Mars  the  people  have  no  license 
system  on    any   subject.      While   you   on  earth  are 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  71 

wrangling  about  licensing  the  sale  of  intoxicating 
beverage:-!,  on  Mars  they  have  none  to  license.  While 
here  you  are  exercised  over  measures  of  taxation  to 
raise  revenue  to  support  the  government,  on  Mars 
no  taxes  whatever  are  imposed,  and  public  affairs  for 
the  general  public  good  are  administered  freely  and 
without  compensation,  purely  as  a  labor  of  love. 
The  truth  is  that  the  mundane  affairs  of  Mars  are 
more  regulated,  controlled,  and  conducted  by  the 
spiritual  powers  of  the  planet  than  by  tliosc  in  the 
form.  The  two  worlds  are  so  intimately  related  to 
each  other,  and  are  so  closely  brought  together,  that 
this  is  not  only  practicable  but  desirable  and  profit- 
able. 

"April  21.  There  is  on  the  planet  Mars  a  subter- 
ranean passage  through  it  from  pole  to  pole,  which 
Mr.  Swedenborg  informs  me  he  has  thoroughly  ex- 
plored. There  is  more  truth  than  poetry  in  what  is 
known  as  Symmes'  hole  as  applied  to  your  earth. 
When  the  time  comes  by  the  settlement  of  your  as 
yet  vast  millions  of  uninliabited  acres,  and  a  change 
takes  place  in  northern  temperature  and  conditions, 
the  people  of  that  day  will  discover  within  and  through 
the  very  heart  center  of  your  earth  a  country  nearly 
as  large  as  the  exterior  surface,  and  by  that  time 
every  thing  therein  will  be  sufficiently  progressed  and 
developed  to  supply  the  wants  and  invito  the  ambi- 
tion and  energies  of  the  people  of  that  period.  But 
this  discovery,  or  rather  the  occupation  of  this  sub- 
terranean country,  is  very  far  off  in  point  of  time, 
and  the  human  race  of  earth  will  then  be  quite  dif- 
ferent from  what  it  is  now.  They  will  have  so  changed 
by  the  lapse  of  time  and  the  law  of  progress  as  to  be 


72  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

enabled  to  pass  into  the  new  country  by  way  of  the 
north  polo  with  ease  and  safety.  The  north  polo  is 
the  true  opening,  and  can  not  be  reached  until  the 
fullness  of  time,  as  I  have  indicated.  As  the  area  of 
territory  of  Mar's  surface  was  about  being  densely 
covered  by  population,  and  apprehensions  were  being 
entertained  for  the  future  of  the  race,  lo  and  behold, 
the  now  interior  country  was  discovered  and  subse- 
quently peopled.  By  the  time  it  is  crowded  no  more 
will  be  needed,  for  the  planet  by  that  time  will  have 
passed  into  its  spiritual  orbit  and  into  the  ocean  of 
spiritual  ether,  where  suffering  can  never  come  from 
lack  of  room.  This  will  be  the  future  history  of  your 
planet,  and  you  will  pass  through  the  same  experi- 
ences and  reach  the  same  ultimate.  Behold  how  in- 
finitely wise  all  things  are  forearranged.  Just  as  we 
need  by  our  development  new  limits,  new  appliances 
and  new  things,  they  are  ready  for  our  use,  and  are 
never  disclosed  until  we  are  ready  for  and  need  them. 
"  April  24.  At  this  time  those  living  on  the  planet 
Mars  do  not  die  or  pass  through  the  change  called 
death  as  you  do  here.  They  have  no  diseases  that 
cause  the  untimely  taking  off  of  the  inhabitants. 
Disease  has  long  since  been  banished.  All  of  the 
procreating  elements  of  disease  residing  in  the  mate- 
riality of  the  globe  or  the  surrounding  atmosphere 
have  been  by  progressive  development  eliminated. 
And  even  before  this  had  fully  occurred  the  people 
had  learned  the  laws  of  health  and  the  process  of  neu- 
tralizing and  rendering  harmless  the  lurking  germs 
that  remained.  You  may  perceive  from  this  what  a 
happy  people  they  are.  There  are  no  untimely  deaths 
on  Mars.     Children  grow  up  to  manhood  and  woman- 


SPIRIT    COMJIITNICATIONS.  78 

hood ;  yet  there  is  no  fixed  standard  of  time  when  all 
die,  that  is,  no  definite  and  invariable  period  of  longev- 
ity. And  right  here  comes  in  a  great  law,  now  opera- 
tive on  Mars,  that  the  people  of  earth  know  nothing 
about,  for  it  has  never  been  communicated  before, 
namely,  children  can  not  die  there.  It  was  never 
designed  that  they  should  die  here.  Marriage  being 
brought  about,  as  before  stated,  by  the  grand  law  of 
magnetic  attraction  or  spiritual  affinity,  and  all  dis- 
eases being  banished  and  their  producing  causes  an- 
nihilated, nothing  but  absolutely  sound  and  perfect 
physical  and  mental  organizations  are  imparted  to 
offspring  by  their  progenitors.  You  see  at  once  the 
idea,  for  I  must  be  brief — the  children  being  perfect 
in  health  of  body  and  mind  by  procreation,  and  there 
being  no  diseases  to  affect  them  after  birth,  death 
can  not  touch  them,  in  fact  can  touch  none  before  the 
time  arrives,  varying  in  point  of  longevity  for  the 
separation  of  spirit  and  body.  N"one  die  before  the 
full  maturity  of  stature,  and  some  live  to  be  a  very 
advanced  age.  After  reaching  complete  development 
or  stature,  they  pass  out  of  and  away  from  the  mate- 
rial in  point  of  time,  according  to  the  antecedent  con- 
ditions of  their  varied  being.  Some  arrive  after  ma- 
turity to  the  estate  of  progressive  experience  in  the 
form  sooner  than  others,  and  when  this  period  ar- 
rives, whether  it  be  at  thirty,  fort}- ,  fifty  or  a  hundred 
years,  they  pass  on  to  their  ultimate  and  higher  state 
of  being  in  the  spiritual  spheres.  It  is  known  when 
each  shall  pass  out  of  the  form  long  before  the  event 
transpires,  and  all  due  preparation  is  accordingly  made 
therefor.  Your  scientists  have  discovered,  and  rightly, 
too,  that  about  every  seven  years  the  atoms  and  par- 


74  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

tides  composing  your  physical  organizations  change 
and  give  way  to  new  ones.  But  this  is  gradual  and 
imperceptible.  On  Mars,  at  this  period  of  develop- 
ment, the  changes  are  much  more  frequent,  and  these 
successive  changes  determine  the  approach  of  disso- 
lution, and  instead  of  death  in  an  hour  or  a  day,  it 
goes  on  perceptibly  and  without  pain  or  suffering  for 
years.  Every  change  lessens  the  material  composites 
of  the  body,  and  at  each  a  nearer  approach  to  the 
spiritual  takes  place,  until  finally  the  physical,  by  the 
gradual  process  of  embodied  sublimation  or  attenua- 
tion, passes  away,  and  the  spiritual  becomes. supreme. 
This  culmination  is  equivalent  to  what  you  call  death, 
except  that  there  is  no  attending  pain,  no  death  strug- 
gle, and  no  physical  body  afterwards  to  take  care  of 
and  lay  away.  The  body,  by  successive  changes,  has 
seemingly  vanished  into  nothingness  and  been  ab- 
sorbed in  the  atmosphere. 

"  April  27.  We  have  been  expecting  you  to  inquire 
of  us  how  the  people  live  on  the  planet  Mars,  what 
kind  of  architecture  in  the  construction  of  their  busi- 
ness houses,  habitations,  etc. ;  what  kind  of  food  they 
eat,  and  with  what  raiment  are  they  clothed,  etc. 

"  You  will  have  observed  from  what  we  have  here- 
tofore made  known  to  you  that  the  services  of  four 
classes  of  professional  worthies  have  been  dispensed 
with,  simply  because  the  people  have  progressed  be- 
yond their  utility,  namely,  lawyers,  doctors,  preach- 
ers and  politicians.  Lawyers  can  only  thrive  and 
exist  professionally  in  a  land  where  conscience  is  not 
permitted  to  exercise  its  native  simplicity  and  posi- 
tive purity,  and  where  the  lower  passions  and  pro- 
pensities are  largely  dominant.      When  conscience, 


I 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  75 

active,  pure  and  simple,  is  allowed  to  manifest  its 
functions  in  perfect  unrestraint,  and  to  act  as  the  gov- 
erning power  in  the  regulation  of  human  conduct, 
the  presence  and  office  of  the  barrister  are  no  longer 
of  use.  Lawyers  flourish  as  a  general  proposition  on 
strife  and  contention,  bad  faith  and  unfair  dealing; 
and  when  these  shall  happily  end,  like  poor  cashiered 
Cassio,  their  occupation  will  be  gone.  The  doctors 
grow  opulent  by  medication,  because  of  the  ignorance 
of  the  people  with  reference  to  the  true  laws  of  mar- 
riage, proper  antenatal  conditions,  neglect  of  proper 
hygiene,  and  ignorance  as  to  overcoming  or  render- 
ing harmless  the  deleterious  conditions,  both  atmos- 
pheric and  from  the  undeveloped  state  of  inherent 
nature.  But  when,  by  progressing  beyond  their 
harmful  influences,  or  by  enlightenment  and  healing 
gifts,  the  people  shall  obtain  a  complete  mastery  over 
them,  disease  shall  be  banished,  then  the  avocation  of 
the  physician  ends,  and  he  will  have  to  seek  a  liveli- 
hood in  other  pursuits. 

"  The  preacher  lives  in  comfortable  indolence  be- 
cause of  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  the  people. 
His  office  is  one  of  hypocrisy  and  fraud.  Hypocrisy, 
because  if  he  is  not  a  fool,  he  knows  his  teachings  are 
not  true,  and  of  fraud,  because  by  dissembling  he  ex- 
torts from  his  parishoners  a  dishonorable  subsistence. 
When  the  people  grow  sufficiently  wise  they  will  be 
taught  by  the  denizens  of  the  spirit  world  truth  and 
righteousness.  Then  the  mission  or  office  of  the  sacer- 
dotal gentlemen  will  be  closed,  and  they  can  seek  em- 
ployment in  the  many  more  honorable  occupations 
The  politician,  cunning  and  subtle,  swims  along 
smoothly  upon  the  rolling  current  of  the  credulity  of 


76  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

the  people  and  bis  own  duplicity.  He  prospers  be- 
cause you  have  not  as  yet  grown  into  full  political  man- 
hood, and  he  succeeds  in  hoodwinking  you  with  the 
belief  that  his  heart  is  overflowing  with  patriotism 
and  anxious  solicitude  for  the  public  weal.  But  I 
must  leave  this  class — the  politicians — to  the  tender 
mercies  of  several  gentlemen  who  are  waiting  the 
opportunity  to  contribute  their  part  to  your  enter- 
prise. 

"  April  28.  The  coarse  food  necessary  for  you  in 
order  to  keep  up  the  crude  materiality  of  which  your 
phj'sical  make-up  is  composed,  is  not  needed  by  the 
denizens  of  Mars.  In  the  composition  of  your  phy- 
sical bodies  is  a  representative  of  all  the  material  ele- 
ments in  nature — iron,  calcium,  wood,  earth,  etc. — 
and  it  is  easily  demonstrated  by  microscopic  inspec- 
tion and  chemical  analysis,  that  in  every  drop  of  blood 
in  the  human  system  all  these  varied  and  numerous 
elements  are  represented.  Hence  man  may  be  safdy 
considered  a  microcosm,  or  nature  in  her  vast  domain, 
reflected  in  miniature.  But  you  still  exist  in  the  realm 
of  the  crude,  and  yet  you  are  vastly  more  refined  than 
in  the  ages  past,  and  forward,  onward,  and  upward 
is  the  line  of  march  marked  out  for  ^-ou  by  the  in- 
finitely wise  director  of  all  things.  On  the  planet 
Mars  no  animal  food  is  used,  because  among  other 
reasons  the  physical  properties  of  the  body  do  not  re- 
quire the  elements  of  animal  flesh  to  replace  nature's 
wastes.  Thousands  of  former  species  of  animals  have 
become  extinct,  swallowed  up  in  the  ever  maelstrom 
of  progression  or  absorbed  in  the  higher  forms.  Vege- 
tation in  the  planet  Mars  is  quite  different,  both  in 
expression  or  appearance,  and  constituent  composition 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  77 

from  the  vegetation  of  your  planet.  Here  the  aroma 
residing  in  the  vegetable  and  escaping  therefrom,  is 
largely  absorbed  and  neutralized  by  the  grossness  of 
the  vegetable  itself,  while  on  Mars  the  grossness  has 
become  so  diminished  that  to  the  senses  the  aroma 
has  almost  become  tangibly  objective,  and  this  aroma 
is  food  strengthening  and  invigorating,  is  nearly  suf- 
ficient of  itself  to  support  existence  in  the  form  with- 
out the  assistance  of  more  substantial  fibers  of  the 
parent  vegetable.  Yet  in  a  certain  prepared  form 
the  substantial  material  is  used.  The  time  is  not  very 
far  distant,  as  I  am  assured,  when  the  people  there 
will  subsist  on  aromatic  emanationsfrom  material  pro- 
ductions, aided  by  magnetic,  electric,  and  other  at- 
mospheric properties  used  simply  by  inhalation.  In 
the  water  you  use  are  to  be  found  teeming  millions  of 
living  and  moving  animalcules.  They  are  enabled  to 
live  on  the  elements  of  the  water. in  its  present  gross 
state,  but  on  the  planet  Mars  the  water  has  been  dis- 
possessed of  its  life  germinating  and  life  sustaining 
properties  to  aquatic  productions,  and  has  thus  pro- 
gressed with  all  other  things  and  beings,  l^o  life  or 
form  of  life  is  now  brought  into  being  there,  but  such 
higher  types  as  are  fitted  to  pass  with  the  planet  into 
spiritual  conditions ;  and  the  water  being  so  purified 
by  nature's  refining  processes  is  as  diff'erent  from  your 
ordinary  water  as  clear,  sparkling  sprays  projected 
from  your  fountains  and  dancing  in  the  sunbeams  are 
to  the  murky  waters  of  your  rivulets  immediately 
after  a  rivulet  rain-storm.  I  will  resume  this  subject 
in  my  next. 

"  Mayl.    On  Mars  they  have  learned  how  to  produce 
from  the  soil  itself  any  vegetable  that  naturally  grows 


78  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

therefrom.  In  the  soil  itself  reside  all  the  constitu- 
ent elements  of  all  vegetation  in  Their  infinite  variety. 
You  may  thoughtlessly  answer,  that  in  order  to  pro- 
duce any  species  of  vegetation  used  for  table  con- 
sumption, the  seed  or  germ  must  first  be  sown  in  the 
soil  beneath  the  surface,  but  you  forget  that  this  pro- 
cess is  but  the  result  of  civilization  and  art,  and  that 
originally,  that  is  before  you  learned  how  to  obtain 
and  use  seed,  the  products  sprang  of  themselves  and 
apparently  spontaneously  from  the  earth.  Whence 
did  they  come?  and  whence  were  their  germinating 
and  generating  powers  obtained?  Think  a  little 
deeply  on  the  subject,  and  you  will  be  led  irresistibly 
to  the  correct  conclusion  that  in  the  soil  exists  all  the 
requisite  elements  in  the  production  of  vegetation  by 
grow^th.  .  The  people  of  Mars  have  acquired  the 
knowledge  which  enables  them  to  produce  out  of  the 
soil,  abstractly  considered,  all  the  essential  qualities 
of  the  vegetable  without  waiting  for  the  tedious  pro- 
cess of  growth.  This  process  is  purely  chemical,  and 
everybody  there  understands  it.  Hence  you  see  they 
do  not  have  to  buy  vegetables,  for  all  can  have  their 
essential  qualities  for  food  without  cost  to  the  con- 
sumer. Long  since  the  ownership  of  the  soil  by  in- 
dividuals was  abandoned  for  the  general  common 
good,  and  on  this  subject  the  primitive  condition  of 
affairs  in  your  planet  prevails  universally  on  Mars — 
that  is  to  say  everybody  owns  realty,  one  just  as  much 
as  another.  This  is  pure  unadulterated  agrarianism 
in  its  highest  and  most  perfect  form. 

"  It  is  often  asked  in  your  intercourse  with  the  world 
of  spirits :  What  are  the  employments  of  spirits  ? 
what  are  they  about?  what  do  they  do  ?  etc.     It  is 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  79 

pertinent  to  inquire,  What  are  the  employments  of 
the  i^eople  of  Murs  still  embodied  ?  What  do  they 
do  since  wchave  discovered  that  they  do  not  now  toil 
for  the  acquisition  of  riciics,  because  they  have  no 
possible  use  for  them ;  no  taxes  ta  pay,  no  govern- 
mental machinery  to  support,  no  lawyers  to  annoy,  no 
preachers  to  vex,  torture,  and  maintain,  no  doctors  to 
nauseate  with  their  drugs,  no  politicians  to  hoodwink 
the  people  and  feed  at  the  public  crib,  no  grocery  bills 
to  look  after  and  liquidate,  etc.  Before  v/e  answer 
these  and  many  other  important  queries,  we  shall  see 
what  the  people  do  for  raiment  with  which  to  clothe 
themselves,  and  what  they  do  for  shelter,  if,  indeed, 
shelter  is  necessary.  If  we  shall  discover  that  these  are 
free  gifts  from  the  father,  then  the  employments  of  the 
embodied  Marsians  becomes  a  question  of  very  inter- 
esting and  pressing  importance. 

"  May  4.  I  suspect  that  you  already  anticipate  the 
tenor  of  what  we  have  to  tell  you  in  regard  to  the 
clothing  of  the  people  of  Mars,  what  texture,  how 
derived,  etc.  Your  keen  perceptions  and  astute  com- 
prehension enables  you  to  see  at  a  glance  that  if  this 
law  of  progression,  as  applied  to  the  material,  whereby 
the  lowest  forms  are  reached  and  operated  upon,  lift- 
ing with  its  strong  arms  into  higlier  and  still  higher 
conditions,  be  true,  it  must  be  true  and  in  regard  to 
all  material  things — the  soil,  rock,  wood,  water,  etc., 
animal  and  vegetable  life,  and  as  we  shall  have  occa- 
sion to  show  further  on,  to  the  mundane  atmosphere 
surrounding  the  planet.  All  things  progress  and  ad- 
vance in  like  and  equal  ratio,  leaving  nothing  be- 
hind or  unaffected  by  the  law.  This  advancing 
inarch  of  matter  from  the  crude  and  gross  into  the 


80  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

more  refined  and  sublimated  is  seemingly  slow,  hut 
nevertheless  sure  and  unerringly,  indiscriminate,  and 
precise.  Therefore  the  raiment  worn  hy  the  denizens 
of  Mars  has  reached  the  same  altitude  of  refinement 
as  all  other  material  things. 

"  The  seasons,  once  resembling  yours,  spring,  sum- 
mer, autumn,  and  winter,  have  nearly  merged,  that 
is  to  say,  have  nearly  blended  into  one  perpetual  sea- 
son of  summer  loveliness.  The  austerity  of  winter, 
with  its  stormy  blasts  and  cold,  piercing  wind  waves 
has  long  since  ceased  to  be ;  no  frosts  to  nip  and 
blight  the  fruits  and  flowers;  no  chilling  autumns, 
with  withering  leaf,  to  inspire  with  melancholy  and 
sadness.  What  will  surprise  you  in  this  connection 
is,  that,  while  the  cold  temperature  has  wrought  its 
work  in  the  development  of  the  past,  and  is  only 
known  to  have  once  existed  by  historic  relation,  the 
intense  heat  of  summer  has  also  disappeared.  When 
you  have  severely  cold  winters,  almost  unendurable 
even  in  your  temperate  zones,  your  wise  philosophers 
theorize  that  your  ultimate  destiny  is  to  freeze  out; 
that  the  icebergs  and  ice  glaziers  of  the  north  are 
ultimately  either  to  roll  over  the  now  fair  portions,  of 
the  earth,  destroying  all  things  animate,  or  that  their 
freezing  breath  will  sweep  over  the  globe  involving 
in  death  all  the  fair  and  lovely  forms  of  nature's 
productions,  including  godlike  man,  the  apex  of 
crowning  glory  of  creation.  But  lo  !  when  the  earth 
straightens  up  on  her  axis  and  the  cold  waves  retreat 
and  sink  away  in  their  northern  hiding  place,  and  the 
genial  and  vernal  season  with  its  pleasant  tempera- 
ture returns,  these  same  philosophers  take  a  breathing 
spell,  rest  awhile,  and  conclude  that  it  has  not  been 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  81 

80  very  cold  after  all ;  and  when  the  summer  comes, 
if  it  happens  to  he  unusual  iu  the  intensity  of  its  heat, 
and  the  solar  rays  seem  to  almost  melt  into  molten 
ruin  all  things,  and  to  scorch  the  forest  leaves  and  wilt 
the  waving  harvests,  these  same  philosophical  wise- 
acres change  tactics,  reverse  their  position,  and  with 
one  heroic  bound  jump  to  a  directly  opposite  conclu- 
sion, namely:  that  we  are  all  destined  ultimately  to 
burn  up  and  become  annihilated  in  a  general  confla- 
gration by  solar  heat  igniting  the  combustible  mate- 
rial of  the  planet  and  its  surrounding  atmosphere. 
Oh,  how  impotent  in  philosophy  !  A  simple  and 
humble  inquir}^  settles  the  question.  "Why  destroy 
this  fair  earth,  daily  and  hourly  becoming  still  fairer  ? 
Does  God  do  any  thing  without  an  all  wise  and  benefi- 
cent purpose  ?  Is  it  possible  for  Ilim  to  do  a  silly, 
foolish  thing?  He  would  certainly  not  destroy  the 
earth  unless  there  was  thereby  some  noble  and  benefi- 
cent purpose  to  subserve.  What  grand  purpose,  good 
and  wise,  can  be  accomplished  by  ending  the  exist- 
ence of  a  planet  that  has  as  yet  scarcely  begun  to  live  ? 
To  assume  that  He  will  do  such  a  thing  is  to  assume 
that  He  has  become  disappointed  and  disgusted  with 
his  own  creation,  which  annuls  His  wisdom  and  fore- 
sight, or  that  He  delights  in  folly,  making  a  world 
and  then  destroying  it  because  He  can,  or  for  any 
other  silly  andinsufiicient  reason.  To  thus  assume  is 
to  dishonor  Him  as  a  God,  and  to  invest  Him  with  the 
attributes  of  a  devil. 

"  Wonderful  changes  do  occur  marking  epochs,  or 
cycles,  in  the  history  of  all  planets.  Where  you  live 
to-day,  thousands  upon  thousands  of  years  ago  an- 
other race  of  human  beings  lived,  attaining  a  certain 


82  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

degree  of  development  in  Bcience  and  art,  but  upon 
the  fultillnientof  their  mission  they  passed  away  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  Where  you  now  live  was  once 
swept  over  by  old  ocean,  and  where  the  deep  waters 
and  angry  billows  of  the  Atlantic  now  roll  and  revel 
once  lived  a  race  of  people  called  the  Atlantians,  but 
their  land  with  its  embellishments  of  art  and  pro- 
gressive develoj>nient  became  submerged  by  the 
changes  of  the  mighty  waters,  and  now  lies  buried 
beneath  its  rolling  deep  and  lashing  waves.  But  ob- 
serve in  all  this  that  the  globe  goes  on,  and  succeed- 
ing developments  of  man  and  material  things  come 
forth  far  in  advance  of  the  formed  order  of  things. 
What,  if  in  the  womb  of  time  it  is  reserved  for  At- 
lantis to  arise  from  her  watery  entombment  and  to 
flourish  again  with  renewed  and  increased  grandeur, 
involving  the  submersion  of  other  portions  of  the 
earth's  surface,  including 3'our  own  ?  This  would  not 
be  death  to  any  portion  of  the  planet  in  any  high  and 
exalted  sense,  but  a  progressive  change,  a  revivifying 
of  life,  a  quickening  and  impulsion  of  being  in  the 
grand  advancing  march  of  development  and  sublima- 
tion. As  we  write,  the  theme  expands  and  enlarges, 
and  as  the  power  begins  to  wane  we  find  we  have  not 
discoursed  minutely  on  the  subject  of  raiment,  and 
beg  your  indulgence  for  a  resume  of  the  subject  in 
our  next. 

"  May  5.  There  being,  at  this  stage  of  develop- 
ment on  Mars,  no  winter  with  its  concomitants  of 
winds  and  storm,  snow  and  ice,  you  have  no  difliculty 
in  apprehending  that  very  light  material  only  is  needed 
to  protect  and  render  comfortable  the  persons  of  the 
people.     Material  of  the  texture  of  your  lightest  flan- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  83 

nel  underwear  would  be  oppressively  and  uncomiort- 
ably  warm,  and  indeed  insufferable.  Thin  and  quite 
gauzy  robes  composed  of  finely  attenuated  and  ex- 
quisitely refined  material  constitute  their  apparel.  I 
have  told  you  hitherto  that  of  the  animal  kingdom 
only  the  fittest  have  survived  the  marvelous  success- 
ive changes  in  the  infinite  series  of  progressive  ad- 
vancements. Among  those  now  living  with  the  abil- 
ity of  propagation  is  an  animal  species  somewhat 
resembling  your  sheep,  but  so  exceedingly  refined  as 
to  be  remarkably  striking  in  contrast.  Of  course, 
and  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  the  fleecy  wool, 
or,  rather  velvety  down,  that  grows  upon  this  noble 
animal,  so  distinguished  for  innocence,  aesthetic  tastes 
in  food  and  refinement  in  habits  of  life,  is  eminently 
suited  for  purposes  of  habilament,  and  accordingly  is 
thus  utilized.  They  are  propagated  in  unlimited  num- 
bers, live  to  an  advanced  age,  are  the  common  prop- 
erty of  all  the  people,  and  have  within  themselves  the 
qualities  of  eternal  being. 

"  The  forest  and  other  trees,  shrubs  and  flowers, 
have  advanced  under  the  same  law  of  progress.  Very 
many  species  of  the  olden  time  disappearing — the  fit- 
test only  having  survived.  Among  those  now  extant 
on  the  planet,  is  a  peculiar  and  quite  extensively 
cultivated  species,  from  which  is  produced  a  fabric  re- 
sembling somewhat  your  cotton  production,  with  the 
Slime  difference  in  refinement  of  texture  as  exists  be- 
tween your  wool  and  that  developed  on  Mars  as  herein 
stated.  This  is  utilized  for  raiment  also.  Besides  the 
people  there  have  mastered  the  law  that  spirits  employ 
in  the  materialization  of  garments  at  your  material- 
izing seances,  only  much  finer,  and  of  the  ambiant 


84  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

atmosphere,  filled  as  it  is  with  sublimated  atoms  and 
emanations,  they  are  enabled  to  collect  and  magnetize 
into  solidified  form  appropriate  garments  for  their  use 
and  comfort.  When  thus  magnetized  into  objective 
and  tangible  being  itpartakes  of  and  assumes  a  varied 
hue  and  color,  according  to  the  progressed  and  ad- 
vanced state  of  the  person  using  the  garments.  In 
other  words  the  magnetic  aura  and  spiritual  emana- 
tions proceeding  from  the  individual  infiltrates  and 
becomes  interwoven  in  the  delicate  fibers  of  the  new 
garment  extracted  and  brought  into  being  from  the 
viewless  air,  imparting  hue  and  coloration  present- 
ing difi'erent  appearances,  whereby  the  grade  or  de- 
gree of  advancement  of  the  individual  wearer  is  made 
known  and  determined.  Here  you  inquire  of  the 
spirits  to  know  what  sphere  you  are  fitted  to  enter 
in  the  spirit  world,  then  they  know  by  this  means  in 
advance  of  leaving  the  body.  Your  spirits  in  im- 
parting light  and  knowledge  to  you  concerning  their 
state,  tell  you  that  a  spirit  and  its  proper  sphere  are 
known  by  the  peculiar  aura,  or  surroundings  and 
clothing  of  the  individual  spirit,  and  this  is  true  to 
the  letter.  But  on  Mars  this  law  of  spirit  designa- 
tion that  belongs  to  the  spiritual  spheres  of  your 
planet,  reaches  out  and  reveals  itself  in  the  persons 
of  the  people  of  Mars  before  they  have  actually  en- 
tered upon  the  spiritual  journey  of  life  in  the  spirit- 
ual spheres. 

"  Xow  the  additional  fact  is  disclosed  to  you  that  by 
reason  of  this  mode  of  obtaining  raiment  the  avoca- 
tion of  the  merchant  is  of  slender  dimensions,  and 
the  manufacturer's  art  and  pursuit,  except  as  known 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  85 

and  practiced  by  all  alike,  are  now  unknown  on  the 
planet  Mars. 

"  In  our  next  we  will  discourse  on  buildings,  hab- 
itations, etc.  We  had  hoped  to  reach  this  part  of  the 
subject  in  this  communication,  but  as  we  advance 
the  themes  and  subjects  broaden  and  expand,  and  we 
sincerely  regret  that  the  power  by  this  process — in- 
dependent slate  writing — although  the  purest  of  all, 
will  not  last  us  at  one  sitting  sufficiently  to  fully 
elaborate  our  thoughts  and  descriptive  delineations 
on  a  given  subject.  It  has  this  advantage,  however, 
it  comes  directly  from  the  materialized  fingers  of  the 
spirit  without  the  direct  use  of  the  brain  of  another 
in  transmission.     Adieu  until  our  next. 

"  May  8.  The  same  reasons  assigned  in  our  last, 
why  very  light  garments  only  were  needed  for  the 
bodily  comfort  and  happiness  of  the  people  of  Mars 
apply  with  equal  propriety,  force,  and  truth,  to  the 
subject  of  their  habitations. 

"  Your  rains  are  produced  by  vapors,  mists,  and 
emanations  from  youroceans,  rivers,  lakes,  etc.,  which 
by  virtue  of  solar  attraction  or  a  reversal  of  the  law 
of  gravitation  the.  vapors,  mists,  etc.,  are  drawn  up- 
ward in  space  until  a  certain  density  is  reached,  dif- 
fering in  altitudes  of  height,  when  they  become  con- 
gealed by  the  force  of  the  cold  attenuated  atmos- 
phere there  into  small  particles  called  rain  drops,  and 
these  are  carried  along  by  the  undercurrents  of  un- 
congealed  clouds  until  a  certain  electro-magnetic  con- 
dition is  reached,  when  the  clouds  begin  to  empty 
and  rid  themselves  of  their  burdened  contents. 

"  IS'ow  we  have  informed  you  of  the  progress  the 
water  of  Mars  has  made  in  being  dispossessed  of  its 


86  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

gross  and  mighty  elements ;  hence  there  are  none  of 
these  to  ascend  and  to  commingle  in  the  formation  of 
rain  drops;  hence  none  but  the  purer  and  refined  el- 
ements of  the  water  are  exhaled  and  drawn  upward, 
and  consequently  none  hut  the  pure  and  refined  de- 
scend. These  are  in  themselves  comparatively  light 
and  of  greatly  diminished  gravity,  and  therefore  mild 
and  pleasant  in  their  effect.  Especially  does  this  he- 
come  true  as  a  resulting  necessity,  from  the  fact  that 
there  are  no  fierce  winds  or  storms  or  cold  tempera- 
ture in  the  surrounding  atmospheric  belts  or  zones. 
The  rains  on  Mars  are  more  like  your  gentle  dews  of 
early  autumn  than  your  rains  and  showers.  You  at 
once  take  in  the  situation  from  this  and  preceding 
statements  of  facts  that  crude  material  structures  are 
not  necessary,  even  if  the  material  for  their  construc- 
tion could  be  found,  and  we  have  seen  that  such  is 
not  the  case,  for  all  things,  including  the  material  in 
detail  out  of  which  edifices  are  constructed,  have  pro- 
gressed beyond  and  above  their  crude  grossness. 

"  In  some  portions  of  Mars  no  structures  are  used  at 
all,  owing  to  the  mildness  of  the  climate  and  the  total 
absence  of  inclemency  in  the  slightest  degree.  In 
other  portions  the  beautifully  developed  trees,  and 
especially  those  that  spread  out  their  branches  near 
the  surface  of  the  soil,  are  ample  for  the  purposes  of 
shelter.  Still  in  others  they  have  a  sort  of  building 
which  is  a  grand  pavilion,  embracing  a  vast  area  of 
territory,  thousands  of  miles  in  extent,  under  the 
same  roof  or  cover,  which  during  certain  periods  of 
the  year  and  day  become  luminous  and  transparent. 
The  temples  and  gorgeous  structures,  cities  and  mag- 
nificent edifices  have  been  transferred  in  spiritual  es- 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  87 

seuce  to  the  spiritual  spheres,  and  have  ceased  to  be 
as  material  entities,  so  when  the  planet  passeo  into  the 
spiritual  condition  outright  and  in  toto,  all  that  Mars 
could  ever  boast  of  in  architectural  grandeur  and  ex- 
cellence is  preserved  and  perpetuated  with  additional 
luster  and  beauty  from  the  finishing  spiritual  touches 
by  the  Infinite  Master  Builder.  And  now  you  per- 
ceive that  other  questions  come  up  right  here  and  re- 
quire recognition  and  treatment.  Among  them  these : 
Do  the  people  on  Mars  sleep  ?  If  so,  how  often  and 
how  much  ? 

"May  11.  Why  is  it  that  you  require  repose  in 
sleep  ?  In  the  infinitely  wise  arrangement  of  all 
things  there  are  amply  satisfactory  reasons  for  every 
demand,  every  requirement,  every  manifestation,  and 
therefore  there  are  reasons  why  sleep  is  induced  and 
is  an  imperative  necessity  in  your  present  and  past 
states  of  existence. 

"  When  rest  in  sleep  is  long  deferred  from  nervous 
derangements  or  other  causes,  your  physicians  ad- 
minister narcotics  to  induce  it,  for  they  w^ell  know,  as 
you  all  do,  that  sleep  is  necessary  after  intervals  of 
wakefulness  in  order  to  protract  your  being  in  the 
form,  and  why? 

"  You  have  voluntary  and  involuntary  functions  or 
organs;  the  voluntary  only,  the  involuntary  never, 
can  be  suspended  for  certain  periods  of  time.  Your 
respiration  and  blood  circulation  are  involuntary,  and 
as  long  as  you  remain  embodied  in  flesh  will  continue 
to  perform,  their  appropriate  functions,  whether  you 
wake  or  sleep,  for  they  are  not  subject  to  or  influenced 
by  the  will.  And  it  is  by  the  unconscious  operation 
of  these  that  your  voluntary  functions  when   sus- 


88  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

pended  in  sleep  are  replenished  and  reinvigorated. 
You  are,  as  at  present  constituted,  made  up  corporally 
of  gross  material,  which  becomes  wearied  and  ex- 
hausted by  the  active  exercise  or  operation  of  the 
voluntary  functions,  and  the  nerve  force  will  expend 
itself  unless  periodically  reimbursed  and  replenished, 
and  restored  to  its  normal  condition  by  the  interven- 
tion and  recuperative  power  of  sleep.  When  in  the 
ages  to  come  your  people  lose  this  grossness  in  their 
material  composition,  your  inclination  to  sleep  and 
the  necessity  for  it  will  abate  and  become  lessened 
correspondingly  to  your  successive  stages  of  advance- 
ment in  progressive  dev^elopment. 

"  Thus  is  revealed  to  jou  the  fact  that  on  Mars,  at 
this  time,  the  inhabitants  have  but  very  little  need  of 
sleep.  They  sleep,  but  in  a  modified  sense  as  to  pe- 
riods, duration  and  manner.  They  rest  when  fatigued, 
and  for  brief  periods  pass  into  a  state  of  languor  or 
stupidity,  to  some  extent  .analogous  to  your  sleeping 
state,  which  is  never  again  regained  oftener  than  once 
a  week,  and  then  only  for  a  few  hours. 

"  Your  spirit  friends  will  tell  you  that  they  never 
sleep,  but  rest,  and  ever  keep  in  mind  that  the  people 
of  Mars  are  closely  approximating  the  spiritual.  Then, 
again,  on  Mars  they  do  not  have  night  as  you  do,  and 
consequently  not  the  same  nocturnal  influences  to  sug- 
gest and  invite  sleep.  This  suggests  another  subject 
germane  to  our  line  of  thought.  In  nature  you  find 
always  two  extremes,  that  seem  to  stand  in  antipodal 
relations  to  each  other.  Let  us  give  a  few  instances 
in  illustration  :  You  have  day  and  night,  cold  and 
heat,  male  and  female,  fire  and  water,  good  and  evil, 
etc.     Some  of  these  seem  to  be  at  fierce  war  with  each 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  89 

other,  and  yet  what  a  delusion  !  This  seeming  antag- 
onism is  hut  the  working  of  a  law  that  shall  eventu- 
ate in  the  production  of  the  completest  harmony. 
Undeveloped  people,  ignorant  of  the  jewel-crowned 
truths,  as  yet  concealed  from  them  in  the  grand  ar- 
cana of  nature  and  the  prog^-essive  sciences,  laugh  and 
sneer  at  the  idea  of  marriages  in  spirit  life,  when  the 
unvarnished  truth  is  that  man,  considered  in  his  inde- 
pendent aiid  separate  sexual  relation,  is  but  a  half 
man,  and  can  not  become  rounded  out  into  fully  de- 
veloped manhood  until  consociated  in  conjunctive 
union  with  the  opposite  sex — not  indeed  and  truly 
until  the  man  and  woman  become  twain,  one  flesh,  or, 
in  better  phraseology,  spiritually  unitized. 

"  The  day  and  night  will  continue  until  Anally  and 
by  gradual  processes  the  night  is  banished,  and  van- 
ishes in  the  splendor  of  a  continuously  refulgent  and 
sunlit  atmosphere.  On  Mars  this  condition  is  almost 
reached,  and  the  night  there  resembles  the  shadings 
thrown  over  the  earth  when  a  cloud  passes  over  the 
face  of  your  moon  at  hightide,  and  ultimately  even 
this  shall  be  no  more,  for  in  the  spiritual  spheres  of 
Mars,  as  in  your  exalted  ones,  there  are  no  shadows 
to  obscure  or  mar  the  radiant  light  of  the  spiritual 
sun,  and  Mars  itself  is  fast  approaching  this  sublime 
condition.  We  must  withhold  what  we  have  to  say 
in  regard  to  the  seeming  strife  between  good  and  evil 
for  our  next. 

"  May  12.  The  people  of  Christendom  have  had  it 
rung  in  their  ears  for  nearly  two  thousand  years  that 
man  is  essentially  bad,  unutterably  wicked,  unspeak- 
ably depraved,  and,  worst  of  all,  this  horrid  state 
comes  to  him,  not  of  his  own  creating,  but  by  inev- 


90  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

itablc  and  unnvoidrtblc  inheritance.  In  our  ignorance 
and  credulity  liow  we  have  wept  over  the  weakness 
and  folly  of  our  first  parents  in  yielding  to  the  flattery 
and  persuasive  eloquence  of  the  cruel  serpent  in  the 
pure  and  primitive  bowers  of  Eden.  Our  tears  have 
flown  and  flown,  with  no  gentle,  soothing  hand  to 
touch  our  eyes  and  bid  them  cease;  no  voice  pano- 
plied with  authority  to  speak  to ;  no  words  of  hope 
and  cheer.  We  have  been  told  in  answer  to  our  anx- 
ious entreaties  for  blissful  hope  and  loving  counsel 
that  there  is  a  superabundance  of  evil  in  us,  and  a 
trifling,  insignificant  quantity  of  good,  and  that 
nothing  short  of  a  miracle  of  regeneration  can  save 
us  from  unutterable  and  unending  glory  in  the  life  to 
come;  that  without  this  miraculous  interposition  of 
divine  grace,  the  little  good  that  is  in  us  will  be  swal- 
lowed up  and  devoured  by  the  appalling  evil  of  our 
sinfully  inherited  natures.  Oh,  man,  how  you  de- 
grade your  true  nobility,  your  godlike  and  divine  no- 
bi.lity,  by  bowing  the  knee  to  this  hideous  monster  of 
falsehood,  and  by  kneeling  at  this  unholy  shrine.  In 
direct  opposition  to  this  abominable  and  degrading 
doctrine  stands  the  truth  in  its  pristine  and  noble 
beauty. 

"According  to  this  Christian  doctrine  we  behold  in 
man  a  combination  of  good  and  evil,  and  in  the  strug- 
gle for  the  mastery  the  evil  is  to  be  mightier  than  the 
good.  The  good  emanating  from  and  partaking  of 
the  majestic  excellence  of  the  eternal,  infinite  God 
must,  alas,  succumb  to  and  be  overthrown  by  evil,  its 
unholy  rival.  Can  man  conceive  of  a  scheme  more  de- 
grading and  heartless,  and  more  completely  dishonor- 
ing to  God  and  his  infinite  perfections  of  wisdom, 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  91 

goodness  and  power — a  doctrine  more  utterly  subver- 
sive of  moral  goodness,  deific  excellence,  and  that 
more  completely  wrecks  the  moral  government  of  God 
and  dumps  into  one  common  funeral  heap  the  hopes 
and  happiness  of  the  human  race,  ^o,  no,  this  is 
not  true;  it  is  false,  false,  basely  false. 

"  What  is  the  true  theory  of  good  and  evil  ?  Man, 
oh,  man,  hearken  to  the  voice  of  truth,  and  be  wooed 
and  won  by  its  gentle  entreaties.  Let  the  scales  of 
ignorance  and  superstition  fall  from  your  eyes.  Look 
upward  for  truth,  and  be  baptized  in  its  beauteous 
light,  and  cleansed  in  its  pure  and  holy  waters.  Evil 
is  the  assemblage  of  elements  in  the  concrete,  if  I  may 
be  permitted  so  to  speak,  and  is  simply  undeveloped 
good,  or  good  in  a  lesser  degree:  Evil  is  evanescent 
and  transitory,  good  is  permanent  and  eternally  en- 
during. The  fittest  of  all  things  in  the  grand  scheme 
of  progression  only  survive,  w^hile  all  else  is  doomed 
to  perish.  The  good  and  the  true  are  as  enduring 
and  everlasting  as  the  eternal  God  himself,  while  the 
evil  and  the  false  are  fleeting,  unenduring,  and  carry 
within  themselves  the  insatiate  and  unappeasable  ele- 
ments of  ultimate  annihilation.  Be  assured  of  this, 
for  no  truth  in  God's  illimitable  universe  has  been 
more  firmly  established  on  a  more  indestructible 
foundation.     Good  day. 

"  May  15-  Astronomers  will  tell  you  that  in  their  ob- 
servations through  the  telescope  the  planet  Mars  pre- 
sents a  red  brilliancy  not  observably  characteristic  of 
the  othf^r  planets  in  your  solar  system,  which  they  are 
unable  to  account  for.  Considering  the  vastness  of 
the  subject,  the  immense  distance  in  space  when  the 
scintillating  orbs  are  chanting  their  silent  songs  of 


92  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

praise  to  God,  the  difficultie8  in  the  way  of  observa- 
tion, etc.,  the  discoveries  in  the  domain  of  astronomy 
have  been  fully  as  remarkable,  important,  and  satis- 
factory, as  in  any  other  field  of  scientific  investiga- 
tion. But  still  only  a  very  little  compared  with  the 
immensity  of  the  subject  has  been  disclosed  and  some 
of  that  mixed  and  interlarded  with  error.  Astron- 
omy will  become  the  greatest  of  all  sciences  when  by 
new  apparatus  and  new  appliances  the  spiritual 
spheres  belonging  to  the  various  planets  shall  have 
been  discovered.  This  success  will  be  achieved  in  the 
coming  time.  On  Mars  the  people  have  mastered 
this  problem,  and  I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  they 
knew  all  about  our  spiritual  spheres  from  their  far 
distant  standpoint  of  observation,  and  that  they  knew 
minutely  all  the  characteristic  and  inherent  qualities 
of  your  planetary  atmosphere.  They  have  long  since 
invented  instruments  by  which  they  are  enabled  to 
photograph  in  minute  detail  and  perfect  fidelity  of 
representation  every  material  object  on  the  earth. 
And  you  will  be  surprised  when  I  tell  you  that  I  in- 
spected Stockholm,  London,  Paris,  Xew  York,  your 
own  queen  city,  Cincinnati,  etc.,  in  a  more  perfect 
form  of  presentation  than  your  artists  can  reproduce 
on  canvas  with  pencil  and  brush,  and  at  the  same 
time  I  was  standing  in  spirit  in  the  immeasurable  im- 
mensity of  space  on  the  planet  Mars.  I  can  not  give 
you  even  in  outline,  much  less  in  detail,  the  modus 
operandi  of  this  achievment,  and  will  only  say  that 
the  rays  of  light  in  reflective  power  will  }et  dawn 
upon  your  scientists  and  philosophers  as  the  agent  of 
discoveries  and  accomplishments  not  now  even 
dreamed  of  b}'  the  people  of  earth.     I  want  to  add 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  93 

right  here  a  prophetic  statement,  which  you  may 
carefully  note,  that  the  time  is  not  so  very  far  distant 
when  your  inspired  inventors  will  devise  and  con- 
struct an  instrument  that  will  disclose  to  the  human 
material  eye,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  world,  your 
own  spirit  land;  for  let  it  be  well  understood  that 
your  spirit  world  has  a  real,  tangible,  objective  exist- 
ence, that  will  yet  yield  its  rich  treasures  in  scientific 
revealments  for  the  cnliglitmont  and  progress  of  your 
race.  In  very  truth  the  spirit  world  is  the  only  real 
and  permanent  one,  constructed  by  the  infinite  mas- 
ter builder  for  all  eternal  time,  while  your  physical 
and  material,  except  their  spiritual  essences,  are  but 
the  shadows  and  temporary  projections  from  the 
spiritual.  Logically  and  metaphysically  speaking, 
the  spirit  world  is  the  pre-eminent  cause  of  your  world, 
the  mere  transitory  effect.  This  being  true,  your  keen 
sense  hastens  you  at  once  to  the  conclusion,  founded 
in  reason  and  truth,  that  an  effect  can  not  be  greater 
or  more  enduring  than  the  cause  that  produced  it, 
but  must  of  necessity  and  in  the  very  nature  of  things 
be  infinitely  less. 

"  May  18.  A  people  so  pre-eminently  advanced  in  all 
that  appertains  to  the  sublimation  of  their  being,  and 
all  that  surrounds  them,  and  in  which  they  come  in 
contact,  must  necessarily  be  exceedingly  refined  and 
aesthetic  in  their  mannerisms,  habits  of  life,  intercourse 
with  each  other,  and  in  their  vocations  and  employ- 
ments. In  the  very  nature  of  things  it  could  not  be 
otherwise.  From  what  has  been  heretofore  said  re- 
lating to  the  highly  favored  and  inestimably  pro- 
gressed denizens  of  Mars,  it  is  notdiflicalt  to  see  that 
their  pursuits  must  necessarily  and  almost  entirely  re- 


94  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

late  to  the  realm  of  the  intellectual  and  spiritual,  as 
they  have  passed  beyond  the  requirements  and  de- 
mands of  that  which  pertains  to  the  material  phase 
T  of  existence.  Physical  wants  require  physical  exer- 
tion to  supply  them.  Material  requirements  necessi- 
tate attention  to  and  labor  in  the  domain  of  the  ma- 
terial, and  this,  for  obvious  reasons,  that  need  not  be 
stated  or  discussed.  It  may  be  prudent,  however,  to 
premise  that  when  the  physical  constitution  requires 
substantially  gross  materials  to  keep  up  and  main- 
tain the  corporealities  of  our  nature,  we  must  look  to 
the  productions  of  the  farm  and  the  fruitage  of  the 
forest,  and  also  to  animal  food,  which  are  always  in 
quality  and  degree  in  exact  correspondence  to  our 
status  or  state  of  progression.  But  when  we  lose  the 
constitutional  elements  of  corporeal  being  that  belong 
to  the  lower  strata  of  the  constitution  of  things,  we 
require  something  more  refined  and  sublimated,  and 
lo,  always  it  is  at  hand  to  meet  the  exigency,  for  let 
it  ever  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  law  that  is  inces- 
santly and  without  intermission  working  away  in  solv- 
ing the  great  problem  of  life  and  being,  moving  up- 
ward from  the  lower  to  the  higher,  is  not  confined  in 
its  operations  to  only  form  or  species  of  being,  but 
applies  to  and  operates  upon  all,  whether  rational  or 
irrational,  animate  or  inanimate,  and  pushes  all  for- 
ward and  upward  with  perfect  and  precise  equability 
and  in  exact  and  equally  proportional  degree,  none 
advancing  more  rapidly  than  the  rest  and  none  lag- 
ging behind.  Thus  you  perceive  the  infinite  order 
and  the  beautiful  symmetry  of  the  great  law  of  evolu- 
tion and  progression.  Herein  is  necessitated  varied 
changes  in  the  value  and  character  of  vocation  and 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  95 

employments,  suited  to  the  continued  mutations  of 
tilings  in  the  endless  series  of  progressive  changes. 

"  At  one  period  in  the  history  of  Mars  the  art  of 
photography  was  discovered.  Of  course  it  attracted 
great  attention  and  challenged  admiration.  It  was 
regarded  not  only  as  wonderful  but  marvelous.  The 
discoverer  was  almost  deified,  for  he  was  thought  to 
he  endowed  with  something  of  the  divine  nature  not 
discoverable  in  others,  until  the  art  advanced  step  by 
step,  improvement  on  improvement,  when  the  divin- 
ity with  Avhich  the  discoverer  had  been  invested  by 
the  admiring  multitudes  dwindled  into  insignificance, 
and  the  very  sensible  conclusion  reached  that  he  was 
merely  highly  gifted  and  spiritually  inspired,  but  alto- 
gether human  still.  Compare  the  primitive  system 
of  photography,  limited  as  it  was,  to  objects  of  im- 
mediate presence  to  that  now  existing,  whereby  worlds 
and  systems  of  worlds  are  made  tributary  to  its  dis- 
coveries and  achievements.  Now,  instead  of  the  won- 
ders of  the  art  inspiring  hero  worship  of  the  men 
engaged  in  its  studies  and  who  produce  the  wondrous 
results,  a  feeling  of  awe  and  veneration  for  the  con- 
tinually increasing  wonders  of  the  creation  is  in- 
spired. The  admiration  is  justly  transferred  from 
man  to  the  creator  and  the  stupendous  majesty  of  his 
laws  and  works.  On  Mars  photography  is  now  and 
has  been  for  a  long  time  a  fiivorite  and  delightful  em- 
ployment pursued  by  the  many,  for  all  have  the  ad- 
vantages of  it.  Therefore  the  study,  not  only  of  their 
own  world,  but  numerous  others,  constitutes  a  pleas- 
ant, instructive,  and  intellectually  remunerative  em- 
ployment.    Xor  is  this  confined  and  limited  to  mate- 


96  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

rial  worlds,  but  reaches  out  and  embraces  the  spiritual 
spheres  of  each. 

"Again,  take  the  science  of  chemistry.  It  once 
only  dealt  with  material  solids,  but  now  on  Mars  it 
has  reached  a  higher  plane  or  sphere,  and  the  subli- 
mated substances,  still  possessed  of  modified  degrees 
of  matter,  likewise  atmospheric  and  spiritual  sub- 
stances, come  within  the  purview  and  yield  obedience 
to  its  powerful  processes  of  analysis.  This  is  still  and 
ever  will  be  an  instructive  and  profitable  field  for 
those  aspiring  minds  of  the  Marsians  bent  on  the  ac- 
quisition of  knowledge  and  tlie  understanding  of  the 
infinitely  varied  and  universal  laws  by  which  all  na- 
ture and  the  universe  are  governed  and  controlled. 

"  May  22.  On  Mars  the  people  are  divided  up  into 
a  very  great  many  societies.  The  membership  of  these 
societies  is  not  a  matter  of  choice  and  volition.  Here 
you  have  degrees  of  social  society,  and  you  say  there 
are  three  grades — the  lower,  middle  and  upper.  This 
is  so  in  the  deceptive  seeming,  but  in  fact  you  have 
many  more,  but  you  do  not  understand  the  subtle 
laws  governing  in  their  formation  and  diversity.  You 
also  have  secret  societies,  into  which  you  require  the 
consent  of  a  certain  number  to  gain  admission,  while 
at  the  same  time  a  certain  other  number  may  object. 
Certain  arbitrary  votes  in  number  control  the  ques- 
tion of  application,  and  by  them  your  admission  or 
rejection  is  determined.  In  your  social  society  quite 
a  different  rule  or  policy  prevails.  In  a  certain  grade 
or  stratum  true  merit  and  Avorth  are  not  considered 
of  any  moment,  but  wealth  and  pecuniary  par  excel- 
lence constitute  the  law  of  attraction.  In  other  words, 
and  what  ought  to  burn  your  cheeks  with  shame,  it 


1 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  97 

matters  not  how  morally  depraved  or  utterly  aban- 
doned to  Jill  real  intrinsic  worth  of  manhood  or  woman- 
hood, a  large  supply  of  the  world's  fleeting  posses- 
sions constitutes  the  real  standard  of  respectability, 
and  the  sure  passport  into  the  higher  walks  of  social 
life.  On  Mars  they  have  long  since  passed  beyond 
and  above  this  purely  human,  unspiritual  and  unholy 
rule.  There  the)'-  are  known  and  estimated  as  they 
really  are,  for  they  can  not  disguise  their  moral  and 
spiritual  status;  it  is  read  in  the  look,  the  walk,  the 
thought- words,  and  most  potently  in  the  aura  emit- 
ted, permeating  and  coloring  the  very  garments  worn, 
thereby  disclosing  by  shades  of  color  the  moral,  men- 
tal and  spiritual  degree  of  advancement.  You  have 
an  old  adage,  which  contains  a  very  great  truth, 
namely :  '  Birds  of  a  feather  will  flock  together,'  '  like 
draws  like.'  Under  the  operation  of  an  immutable 
law  of  attraction  and  repulsion  the  societies  of  Mars 
are  formed,  and  this  law,  so  utterly  disregarded  by 
embodied  man  on  the  earth,  applies  to  and  is  opera- 
tive in  the  spiritual  spheres  of  all  the  innumerable 
worlds  of  the  vast,  illimitable  universe  of  God.  And 
this  law  of  attraction  and  repulsion  is  indiscriminate 
and  recognizes  no  distinction  on  account  of  wealth, 
social  standing  or  prominence  among  men.  It  deals 
with  spiritual  laws  and  spiritual  truths  and  spiritual 
things.  There  being  different  societies  on  Mars, 
formed  and  governed  by  this  great  and  inexorable  law 
of  selection  or  attraction  and  repulsion,  you  see  read- 
ily that  their  employments  must  of  necessity  and  in 
some  regards  be  quite  different. 

"  May  29.    "VVe  have  endeavored  to  keep  before  you, 
at  the  risk  of  being  censured  for  occasional  reitera- 


98  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

tion  and  repetition,  the  great  primary  and  fundamental 
fact  that  all  things  under  the  divine  arrangement 
advance  in  the  ascending  scale  of  infinite  and  unend- 
ing progression  by  regular  and  gradual  series,  and  in 
equal  ratio  ;  but  you  must  note  an  important  fact  in 
this  connection,  namely,  that  all  do  not  at  the  same 
time  reach  the  same  degree  of  unfoldment — some  a 
little  in  advance  of  others,  and  so  on.  The  question 
necessarily  arises,  why  is  this  so  ?  We  only  desire  to 
say  in  answer  at  this  time  that  all  do  not  start  out  on 
their  career  of  animate  being  at  precisely  the  same 
time  or  under  the  same  conditions,  nor  Avith  the  same 
or  equal  antenatal  advantages.  This  carries  us  back 
behind  our  mere  entrance  into  physical  life,  through 
and  by  the  laws  of  human  physical  procreation,  into 
a  domain  as  yet  nnexplored,  except  feebly,  by  mortal 
man.  It  seems  to  me  if  men  could  only  perceive  and 
understand  the  grand  sublimity  and  variety  of  their 
antecedent  being,  they  would  no  longer  be  blinded  to 
the  future  greatness  and  glory  in  store  for  them.  This 
subject,  if  you  ever  enter  npon  it,  you  will  find  pro- 
lific of  vast  knowledge,  immense  and  perfectly  as- 
tounding revelations.  But  the  time  has  not  yet  ar- 
rived for  them.  The  people  on  Mars,  like  your  own, 
not  starting  out  on  life's  eventful  and  momentous 
journey  with  the  same  or  equal  advantages,  have 
necessarily  attained  unto  different  degrees  of  progress- 
ive unfoldment,  and  by  reason  of  this  are  their  difter- 
ent  and  somewhat  diftering  societies  formed.  In  the 
same  circle,  order  or  stratum  of  society  on  earth,  the 
good,  the  bad  and  the  indifferent  associate  and  seem 
to  harmoniously  blend  and  assimilate.  But  this  is 
not  true  in  fact.     The  degree  of  perfection  attained 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS*.  99 

ill  moral  and  spiritual  excellence  does  not  govern  in 
their  formation,  and  tlicy  are  therefore  incongruous, 
unsatisfactory  and  transitory.  On  Mars  two  unequals 
in  progression  can  not  harmonize,  for  the  law  rebels, 
interposes  insurmountable  barriers,  and  will  not  allow 
it.  Those  only  are  associated  who  harmonize  and  re- 
semble each  other,  not  in  the  accumulations  of  wealth, 
not  in  stature,  not  in  facial  expressions  or  outward 
physical  conformation,  but  those  who  are  drawn  to- 
gether by  a  sort  of  soul  kinship,  of  absolute  union  of 
'soul  feeling,  sympathetic  inclinations  and  aspirations, 
having  for  their  basis,  as  of  prime  and  first  impor- 
tance, an  equal  degree  of  spiritual  unfoldment.  Thus 
divided  and  separated,  there  are  very  many  different 
societies  or  orders,  each  differing  in  development,  in- 
clinations and  aspirations,  they  inevitably  have  dis- 
similar pursuits  and  employments,  suited  to  tastes, 
wants  and  abilities,  but  all  conspiring  for  the  general 
good  of  all. 

"  June  1.  The  people  of  Mars  are  not  so  large  in 
stature  as  on  your  earth,  nor  are  they  as  large  as  at 
former  j^eriods  of  their  history.  The  process  of  pro- 
gression in  casting  off  the  gross,  and  also  by  affecting 
the  laws  of  propagation,  has  materially  reduced  the 
present  inhabitants  in  their  physical  proportions. 
Their  feet,  except  in  the  lower  order,  are  cither  not 
shod  at  all,  or  are  covered  by  a  very  light  and  refined 
material  substance.  The  nearer  the  spiritual  the  peo- 
ple become  the  less  they  are  affected  by  grosser  at- 
mospheric elements,  and  this  is  directly  the  opposite 
of  your  experience.  Here  the  coarser  the  material 
make-up  the  better  can  the  severer  conditions  of  your 
temperature  be  borne,  and  the  reason  is  plain. 


100  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

"  Here  some  are  progressed,  pliysically  speaking,  in 
advance  of  tlie  progress  of  tlie  elements,  and  there- 
fore they  are  detrimentally  aifected  and  influenced  by 
them,  whereas  on  Mars  a  regular  advance  in  develop- 
ment has  been  reached,  and  all  things  now  smoothly 
and  evenly  pass  under  the  operations  of  the  law. 
After  awhile  the  same  law  will  commence  to  thus 
orderly  and  regularly  operate  with  you  when  this 
difliculty  will  be  iiappily  overcome.  The  grandest 
achievement  made  by  progression  on  Mars  has  pro- 
duced the  greatest  result  in  the  formation  of  the 
heads  of  the  people.  Phrenology  here  on  earth  is 
but  feebly  and  imperfectly  understood,  although  there 
is  in  it  a  grand  and  most  salutary  scientific  truth. 
Here,  however,  as  yet,  you  have  the  angular  and  un- 
even formation  of  the  cranium,  ■with  its  attendant 
angularity  of  temperament  and  disposition.  On  Mars 
the  heads  are  so  exquisitely  formed  and  so  harmo- 
nious in  the  external,  and  so  perfectly  symmetrical, 
that  you  observe  and  note  it  at  first  glance,  and  fol- 
lowing this  high  and  beautiful  development  is  dis- 
covered a  degree  of  wisdom  and  learning  perfectly 
astonishing  to  a  visitor  from  a  foreign,  though  neigh- 
boring planet.  The  hair  on  these  magnificent  heads 
is  of  a  fiber  and  texture  resembling  your  finest  silk, 
and  from  under  a  beautiful  arched  brow  you  behold 
a  mild  yet  brilliant  eye,  beaming  with  intelligence 
and  affection,  and  they  can  convey  thoughts  and  ideas 
without  the  use  of  words  or  the  intervention  of  audi- 
ble sound. 

"  June  5.  Hundreds,  yea,  thousands  of  years  ago, 
the  development  of  mind  on  the  planet  Mars  was  ex- 
traordinary^  and  you  can  conceive  what  it  must  be 


t 


SPIRIT   COMMUXICATIONS.  101 

now.  Many  causes,  of  course,  conspired  and  aided 
in  bringing  about  this  result.  The  natural  process  of 
development  would  have  ultimately  accomplished  it 
unassisted  by  other  agencies,  but  a  wise  and  humane 
governmental  system  was  adopted,  originated  in  the 
spirit  world,  which  constituted  a  complete  innovation 
upon  and  revolution  in  previous  systems,  and  which 
gave  a  marked  impetus  to  the  growth  and  advance- 
ment of  mind,  and  which  produced  also  a  wonderful 
improvement  in  the  physical  constitutions  of  succeed- 
ing generations.  That  system  consisted  of  a  legisla- 
tive policy  of  the  controlling  government,  rigidly  and 
unexceptionally  enforced,  which  provided  that  all 
children  born  into  physical  life  should  be  given  up 
and  relinquished  to  the  control  and  direction  of  the 
government,  and  by  the  government  reared,  educated, 
and  prepared  for  the  duties  and  requirements  of  life. 
Elaborate  buildings,  elaborately  and  artistically  em- 
bellished and  beautified  were  constructed  at  proper 
and  convenient  locations,  where  at  a  certain  period 
of  gestation,  very  early  indeed,  the  expectant  mother 
was  taken  and  kept  until  a  certain  and  proper  time 
after  parturition,  when  the  mother  was  discharged 
and  restored  to  freedom,  and  the  new-born  babe  was 
taken  charge  of,  raised  and  maintained  by  the  foster- 
ing care  of  the  government.  Between  the  period  of 
conception  and  parturition,  the  mother  was  contin- 
ually kept  under  the  most  elevating  influences,  both 
of  body  and  mind.  Her  soul  was  kept  enraptured  by 
the  ennobling  influences  of  music,  and  such  music,  of 
which  you  as  yet  have  no  conception.  This  pro- 
duced in  the  mother  the  desired  condition  of  har- 
mony, which  had  a  corresponding  eflfoct  upon  the  little 


102  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

one  concealed  from  mortal  view.  Twice  or  thric3  a 
week  lecturers,  under  the  pay  and  patronage  of  the 
government,  visited  these  asylums  and  discoursed  to 
the  inmates  on  scientific,  literary,  and  moral  subjects. 
"June  8.  These  discourses  were  not  only  designed 
but  efiticacious  in  directing  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
the  auditors  into  the  most  elevating  and  progressively 
intellectual  channels,  and  left  their  inevitable  and  un- 
failing impress  upon  the  forthcoming  offspring.  In 
addition  works  of  art,  rare  paintings,  and  exhibitions 
of  sculpture  were  at  certain  times  presented  for  in- 
spection, study,  and  reflection,  inspiring  noble 
thoughts  of  the  sublime  and  beautiful.  Artists  of 
superior  attainments  and  national  renown  occasion- 
ally visited  these  places  and  gave  exhibitions  of  their 
skill  in  transferring  to  canvas,  in  an  impromptu  man- 
ner, their  loftiest  conceptions  of  the  beautiful  in  land- 
scapes, scenes,  etc.,  which  were  of  the  rarest  beauty 
of  design.  Books  treating  of  the  noblest  subjects 
were  placed  within  ready  reach  and  convenient  ac- 
cess, and  the  inmates  read  them  with  avidity  and 
delight.  They  understood  that  they  were  thus  pre- 
paring the  new  generations,  as  yet  unushered  into 
life,  to  take  their  places,  and  that  their  success  largely 
depended  on  the  assiduity  with  which  they  availed 
themselves  of  their  opportunities.  The  government, 
as  before  stated,  took  charge  of  the  young  and  trained 
and  educated  them  in  art,  music,  and  the  sciences, 
and  the  result  was  soon  manifest  in  producing  a  race 
of  intellectual  giants,  and  distinguished  for  their 
ability  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  the  benevolence 
or  their  religious  natures.  And  to-day  you  can  not 
find  a  man  or  woman  of  adult  age  who  is  not  per- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  103 

fectly  versed  in  all  the  higher  branches  of  learning, 
and  eminently  proficient  in  mnsic.  If  a  thousand  of 
them  could  be  bodily  transferred  to  America,  and  with 
her  exceptional  advantages,  and  live,  they  would  soon, 
by  the  sheer  force  of  intellect,  rule  this  world,  and 
lift  it  morally  and  intellectually  upon  a  plane  that 
would  dazzle  you  to  behold.  And  yet,  my  dear 
friend,  it  is  laid  up  in  the  womb  of  time  that  you  of 
earth  shall  reach  this  sublime  height. 

"  The  denizens  of  earth  may  wonder  at  and  disbe- 
lieve these  relations,  but  nevertheless  they  are  as  true 
as  that  the  eternal  God  is  truth.  They  point  to  the 
destiny  in  store  for  the  future  inhabitants  of  earth, 
and  intimate  to  poor  disheartened  mortals  the  cer- 
tainty and  greatness  of  the  future,  in  which  they  are^ 
to  figure  in  no  mean  way  nor  act  no  inconsequential 
part. 

"  July  10.  On  Mars  the  doctrine  of  discrimination 
on  the  score  of  sex  was  never  taught,  but  the  equal- 
ity of  the  sexes  has  always  been  recognized.  This 
indiscrimination  has  always  been  operative  in  employ- 
ments and  in  the  choosing  of  persons  to  fill  ofiicial 
station  at  a  period  of  their  history  when  oflicers  were 
paid  out  of  the  public  exchequer  for  their  services. 
Of  course,  at  this  time  when  office  is  administered 
without  compensation  the  rule  remains  undisturbed. 
Your  troubles,  that  is,  many  of  them,  in  the  present 
and  past  have  arisen  either  from  a  misunderstanding 
of  the. truth  or  a  misapplication  of  it  and  its  require- 
ments. Can  it  be  rationally  maintained  that  truth 
and  justice  require  a  discrimination  to  be  made  ad- 
verse to  the  female  ?  If  so,  there  must  be  ample  rea- 
sons for  it,  and  what  are  they  ?     We  are  told  that, 


104  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS, 

comparatively  speaking,  woman  is  the  weaker.  Is 
this  true  ?  and  if  so,  pray  tell  wherein  ?  You  an- 
swer physically,  and  thus  you  would  establish  her 
status  in  all  other  regards,  by  the  rule  of  mere  brute 
force,  powers  of  endurance,  and  physical  capabilities. 
Do  you  not  know  that  the  ox  and  the  horse,  for  pre- 
cisely the  same  reason,  can  largely  discount  you  ?  Do 
you  not  realize  that  by  this  argument  you  are  appeal- 
ing to  the  lowest  element  of  your  nature,  that  which 
only  distinguishes  you  as  connected  with  matter,  and 
which  as  we  have  already  seen,  is  transitory  and  fleet- 
ing? Pray  lift  the  subject  upon  a  higher  and  nobler 
plane  and  then  let  us  have  your  arguments  and  reason- 
ing. Is  man  superior  to  woman  morally  ?  N^ow,ifyou 
are  honest,  you  must  blush.  In  morals,  man  superior 
to  woman  !  We  all  know  this  is  not  true.  And  do 
morals  count  for  naught  in  the  scale  of  being?  In 
what  pertains  to  the  finer  sensibilities  and  spiritual 
pureties  is  woman  inferior?  If  not,  are  these  of  no 
moment  compared  with  mere  physical  brute  force? 
Do  women  survive  death  as  men  do  ;  if  so,  which  will 
be  of  greatest  value  in  the  beautiful  hereafter — brute 
force  and  physical  prowess,  which  only  have  exist- 
ence in  the  lower  realms  of  the  spiritual  world,  or 
those  finer  spiritual  qualities  possessed  by  woman  in 
a  much  higher  degree  than  by  man  as  they  manifest 
in  embodied  life,  and  which  belong  to  the  higher 
spiritual  sphere  of  being  in  the  other  life? 

"  Beware,  oh  man,  how  you  treat  angelic  woman, 
for  the  future  will  teach  you  many  lessons,  brought 
about  by  your  arbitrary  and  utterly  indefensible  as- 
sumptions and  arrogations,  among  which  will  be 
classed  your  illiberal  and  unjust  treatment  of  woman. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  105 

She  is  your  equal,  and  your  great  weakness  is  in  with- 
hold] ng  it  from  her. 

"  July  13.  In  giving  briefly  and  very  imperfectly 
a  sketch  of  what  I  saw  and  learned  on  the  planet  Mars 
I  have  been  compelled  necessarily  to  omit  many  things, 
among  other  reasons,  because  they  would  not  only  be 
not  believed,  but  in  many  instances  incite  unfavora- 
ble comments,  if  not  absolute  ridicule.  I  am  not  un- 
conscious of  the  fact  that  manv  thins^s  contained  in 
the  foregoing  narrative,  although  literally  true,  will 
meet  with  unfavorable  criticism,  but  I  have  not  been 
writing  to  please  or  to  avoid  censure,  but  to  deliver 
the  truth,  much  of  which  I  am  aware  is  far  in  advance 
of  the  age  in  which  you  now  live  on  the  planet  earth. 
But  it  has  been  thought  that  a  little  work  of  this 
kind  would  be  kindly  received  and  amiably  treated  by 
at  least  progressed  minds — those  who  had  inspiration- 
ally  and  intuitively  drank  at  the  fountain  of  spiritual 
wisdom  and  spiritual  things;  and, as  to  others,  it  was 
hoped  it  might  cause  them  to  think  it  possible,  if  not 
probable,  that  man  is  something  more  than  a  mere 
fleeting  bauble,  a  mere  creature  of  a  moment. 

"  To  awaken  in  man  the  consciousness  of  the  au- 
gustness  of  his  being,  and  the  mighty  destiny  before 
and  awaiting  its  development,  can  not  fail  in  this 
transition  period,  when  you  are  passing  from  old  theo- 
logical theories  and  religious  systems  into  something 
better,  higher,  holier,  to  subserve  great  and  lasting 
good.  In  this  transition  process  the  great  effort  is  to 
be  made  to  direct  the  great  body  of  advancing  minds 
into  the  right  channels,  for  in  many  cases  the  tend- 
ency is  found  to  be  toward  the  cold  barrenness  of  ma- 
terialism. 


106  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

"  The  questian  that  is  to  confront  you  in  the  future 
is  not  in  regard  to  creeds  and  dogmas,  for  they  are 
passing  away,  but  whether  these  fcAv  fleeting  years 
of  physically  embodied  life  is  the  all  of  your  being, 
whether  death  is  the  setting  forever  of  the  bright  star 
of  our  being  in  the  night  and  gloom  of  ended  exist- 
ence, or  whether  there  is  for  man  a  glorious  life  of 
endless  progress  beyond  the  life  and  transitory  scenes 
of  physical  embodiment. 

"  July  14.  With  this  my  labors  for  the  present  end. 
The  effort  has  been  more  irksome  than  you  may  con- 
ceive. The  difficulties  attending  the  act  of  commu- 
nicatinsr  are  more  numerous  and  troublesome  than 
the  world  would  allow  if  they  were  fully  explained. 
But  we  have  done  the  best  we  could. 

"  To  you,  Mr.  Ilelleberg,  I  return  my  thanks  and 
the  thanks  of  those  co-operating  with  me,  for  the  pa- 
tience, earnestness  and  honesty  which  have  character- 
ized your  association  with  us  in  this  work.  Our 
blessings  rest  upon  you,  and  be  assured  that  your 
greatest  reward  will  be  in  the  happy  land  which  your 
aged  footsteps  are  nearing.  We  shall  shield  and  bless 
you  here,  and  crown  you  in  the  land  of  immortal 
beatitudes. 

"  We  would  be  ungrateful  beyond  measure  not  to 
speak  in  acknowledgment  of  the  virtues  and  noble 
qualities  of  the  medium,  through  whose  superbly  de- 
veloped medial  powers  we  have  been  enabled  to  speak 
to  the  world.  In  consequence  of  our  frequent  con- 
tact with  her  noble  and  pure  soul  our  iirst  admiration 
for  her  has  grown  into  the  deepest,  truest  and  holiest 
affection.  Heaven  bless  her  in  all  her  ways  and  walks. 
Her  noble  band  of  spirits,  tireless,  indefatigable  and 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  107 

Upright,  have  rendered  us  vast  assistance,  without 
which  we  could  not  have  succeeded  in  the  slightest 
degree.  They  are  capable,  true  and  honest,  and  able 
to  guard  and  protect  their  instrument,  before  whom 
is  a  great  future  career  of  usefulness,  and  she  may 
confidently  trust  them  in  all  things. 

"  To  those  who  may  read  my  feeble  lines  I  bespeak 
that  charity  you  would  like  extended  to  you.  Judge 
not  harshly,  but  with  generous  impulse.  You  are  in 
the  realm  of  crude  materiality,  in  the  tenement  of 
flesh,  influenced  more  or  less  by  many  disadvanta- 
geous surroundings,  which  are  not  spiritually  inspir- 
ing or  elevating,  but  by  and  by  you  will  survive  and 
pass  beyond  them.  Let  me  entreat  you  to  study  and 
learn  of  the  great  law  of  progressiox,  which  we  have 
constantly  endeavored  to  keep  before  you.  In  that 
law  and  its  manifold  manifestations  reside  all  wisdom, 
love  and  truth.  It  is  that  law  that  assures  you  future 
greatness  and  happiness,  and  will  wori^c  out  for  you  a 
destiny,  the  grandeur  and  glory  of  which  you  can  but 
faintly  comprehend  and  know.  You  can  not  die. 
You  must  live  forever.  You  can  not  retrace  your 
steps,  nor  recede  in  the  development  of  your  being; 
neither  can  you  stand  still.  Therefore  you  must  move 
forward,  onward  and  upward,  forever  and  forever. 

"  Fredrika  Ehrexborg." 


108  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

COMMUNICATIONS   FROM    EMANUEL    SWEDENBORG. 

The  following  communications,  purporting  to  come 
from  the  spirit  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  at  Mrs. 
Green's,  are  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  reception : 

September  26,  1881 : 

"  I  greet  you  ;  good  morning.  You  hail  from  dear 
old  Sweden,  my  native  land.  The  same  native  blood 
that  coursed  through  my  veins  flows  through  yours. 
For  a  long  time  I  have  realized  that  your  thoughts 
have  been  on  me  and  the  doctrines  I  taught  on  earth, 
some  of  which  I  would  gladly  recant.  In  my  day  noth- 
ing else  could  have  been  projected  through  my  brain, 
and  nothing  less  violent,  though  more  truthful,  would 
have  engaged  attention  or  commanded  respect.  My 
writings,  as  I  now  see  them,  were  a  strange  comming- 
ling of  truth  and  error,  though  I  believe  with  truth 
largely  predominant.  I  want  the  world,  especially 
my  followers,  the  disciples  of  the  Church  of  Is^ew  Jeru- 
salem, to  eliminate,  in  the  interest  of  truth,  the  errors 
and  crudities  that  unwittingly,  though  reverentially, 
crept  into  my  theological  writings.  The  hells  as  I 
portrayed  them  I  now  know  were  magnified  into  un- 
due and  absurd  proportions,  colored  and  distorted  by 
i&y  own  preconceived  notions,  and,  moreover,  largely 
attributable  to  the  religious  temper  and  theologic 
thought  of  the  time  in  which  I  wrote.  Tell  your  good 
companion  and  others  of  like  convictions  to  discard 
at  once  and  fearlessly  my  unwarranted  denunciation 


SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS.  109 

against  holding  intercourse  with  the  inhabitants  of 
the  spiritual  world.  I  misapprehended,  and,  alas, 
misinterpreted  the  holy  visions  given  me.  1  was  al- 
lowed to  see  prophetically  that  the  two  worlds  would 
be  brought  into  close  communicating  relations,  and  I 
ought  to  have  seen  farther — that  it  would  occur 
through  and  by  the  permission  and  co-operative 
agency  of  God  and  his  laws,  and  ought  not  therefore 
to  be  mterdicted.  This  lias  given  me  vast  annoyance, 
and  I  am  very  solicitous  indeed  that  this  shall  be 
righted.  Hold  fast  to  this  spiritualism,  for  therein 
only  can  be  found  light  and  love  and  wisdom.  My 
power  to  maintain  control  is  weakening,  and  I  must 
close  for  the  present.  I  will  meet  you  here  again. 
Good  bye.  Emanuel  Swedenborg." 

October  3,  1881 

"  In  my  communication  a  week  ago  I  referred,  not 
incidentally,  but  purposely,  to  my  followers  of  the 
Church  of  the  ISTew  Jerusalem.  It  is  gratifying  to 
me  to  know  that  they  are  in  the  main  honest,  faith- 
ful and  intelligent  people;  but  I  regret  that  they  have 
deemed  it  proper  to  resolve  themselves  into  an  ex- 
clusive sect ;  for,  disguise  it  as  you  may,  all  sects  are  • 
more  or  less  exclusive.  Among  the  many  curses  that 
aflSict  your  mortal  humanity,  none  are  to  be  more  de- 
plored than  sectarianism  and  dogmatic  theology.  Do 
you  know  that  in  the  most  ambitious  moments  of  my 
earthly  career,  much  less  in  the  lofty  moods  of  mjf 
medial  inspiration,  I  never  dreamed  that  I  was  to 
become  the  founder  of  a  religious  sect,  especially  one 
based  on  dos^matic  formulas.  The  affirmations  of 
material  science  now  no  longer  question  that  iu  all 


110  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

organized  structures  reside  the  underlying,  all-pervad- 
ing and  continually  operating  elements.  Disintegra- 
tion, decay  and  ultimate  destruction  of  the  organized 
form  apply  with  equal  and  unerring  certainty  to  ec- 
clesiastical bodies.  Modern  spiritualism  in  this,  that 
it  is  specifically  and  rigidly  scientific,  clustering  beau- 
teously  around  the  family  hearthstone,  adorning  and 
hallowing  the  family  altar,  may  be  distinguished  by  its 
infinite  superiority  to  all  other  systems,  it  having  no 
creed  to  establish,  and  steadfastly  repelling  all  at- 
tempts at  organization,  is  destined  to  survive  the 
wreck  and  demolition  of  all  theological  teaching 
standing  in  antagonistic  relations  to  it ;  and  this  God- 
given,  heaven-inspiring  humanity,  embracing  soul- 
uplifting  spiritualism,  is  to  become  the  universal  re- 
ligion of  mankind.  I  will  continue  to  administer  to 
your  wants  and  remove  the  scales  from  tlie  eyes  of  the 
people,  especially  my  followers.     More  anon. 

"  Emanuel  Swedenborg." 

On  October  17,  1881,  the  following  communication 
appeared  on  the  slate  : 

"  The  blessings  of  the  most  high  God  and  the  ben- 
ediction of  His  holy  angels  and  spirits  on  you  and 
yours.  What  I  most  desire  to  say  to  you  to-day  is 
that  since  our  last  interview  here  I  have  participated 
with  others  in  a  discussion  relative  to  a  recent  scien- 
tific discovery  in  the  spirit  world  which,  when  im- 
parted to  the  world  of  embodied  man,  will  strike  the 
learned  savants  of  your  life  with  mingled  feelings  of 
awe  and  consternation.  Our  recent  experiments  were 
exceedingly  satisfactory,  and  the  questions  that  re- 
main open  are,  when,  to  who  and  through  whom  shall 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  Ill 

it  be  given  to  the  children  of  earth.  The  general  ex- 
pression of  our  society  favored  some  time  towards  the 
close  of  the  coming  year  as  best  adapted.  In  this 
view  I  concurred,  for  many  reasons.  My  revered 
friend,  let  me  say  to  you  to-day,  with  great  and  pos- 
itive emphasis,  that  the  year  1882,  earth  time,  will  be 
the  most  marvelous  year  of  the  world's  history,  and 
will  be  characterized  by  the  most  stupendous  events 
in  all  the  circling  centuries  of  past  time.  In  that 
year  and  the  succeeding  one  astounding  spiritual  rev- 
elations will  be  made  to  the  denizens  of  this  earth, 
utterly  upsetting  old,  effete  theological  doctrines,  and 
mercilessly  demolishing  now  considered  well  estab- 
lished scientific  conclusions,  and  your  scientists'  tests, 
self-complacent  and  arrogant  in  their  pretensions, 
and  possessed  most  fully  of  the  spirit  of  vaulted  am- 
bition, the  creation  of  their  self-conceit,  will  awake 
to  the  consciousness  that  they  have  been  mere  figures 
in  scientific  research,  and  that  on  many  subjects  may 
have  been  so  superficial  as  not  to  penetrate  beyond 
the  mere  shadows  and  surface  of  things.  I  promise 
you  that  when  the  proper  time  arrives  for  this  dis- 
closure you  shall  not  be  overlooked  or  neglected. 
Bound  to  you  in  fraternal  relation  of  a  common 
brotherhood,  embracing  in  grand  reciprocation  the  in- 
habitants of  both  the  mundane  and  supermundane 
worlds,  I  am  yours,  devoted  for  the  truth, 

"  Emanuel  Swedenborg." 

June  12,  1882 

"  If  we  concede  for  the  sake  of  argument  that  there 
really  exists  a  literal  hell,  as  depicted  by  theological 
teaching,  and  which  constitutes  an  article  of  faith  in 


112  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

most  of  the  Cliristiau  sects,  we  are  forced  to  inquire 
(and  it  is  a  legitimate  subject  of  inquiry  from  the  as- 
sumed premises),  Was  hell  made  for  man,  or  man  for 
hell?  and  this  involves  the  question  of  duration  of 
existence  in  point  of  time  antecedent.  Whichever 
way  we  determine,  and  our  determination  of  the  ques- 
tion from  a  terrestrial  standpoint  can  only  arise  from  - 
speculation  and  conjecture,  and  not  from  proofs,  one 
conclusion  we  can  not  escape,  namely,  the  malevo- 
lence of  the  author.  If  hell  was  established  prior  to 
the  time  when  the  jiat  went  forth  bringing  man  into 
being,  and  was  designed  for  his  abode  and  accommo- 
dation, we  can  not  reconcile  the  goodness  of  the  Lord 
with  such  utterly  unjust  and  malevolent  purpose,  be- 
cause to  concede  this  much  admits  the  possession  of 
sufficiency  of  power  to  have  ordered  otherwise,  which 
precludes  impotency  and  concludes  the  will  and  pur- 
pose to  so  order  and  arrange. 

"  If  the  creation  of  hell  and  man  as  arbitrary  acts 
of  the  Deity  was  coeval,  then  the  same  conclusion  in- 
evitably follows,  before  and  behind  the  act  of  these 
creations  resided  in  the  Lord  the  power  to  have  dif- 
ferently ordered ;  hence  we  must  assume  that  the 
simultaneous  creation  of  hell  and  man  was  jDredeter- 
mined,  and  in  accordance  with  the  will-pleasure  and 
purpose  of  the  Creator. 

"  If,  furthermore,  man  was  first  created  without 
any  reference  to  hell  or  any  preconceived  purpose  or 
expectancy  to  establish  it,  and  that  its  creation  was 
necessitated  from  man's  unexpected  disobedience,  and 
as  the  only  proper  means  of  gratifying  the  vengeance 
of  an  insulted  God,  then  we  unwittingly  and  in  a  very 
silly  way  declare  the  absence  of  foreknowledge  in  the 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  113 

Lord,  and  degrade  him  to  the  level  of  a  puny,  pas- 
sionate man. 

"  To  assume  any  of  these  puerile  positions  to  be 
true  is  to  assume  that  the  Lord,  however  august  in 
power,  and  the  physical,  mental  and  spiritual  ability 
to  order  and  to  direct,  is  nevertheless  a  moral  weak- 
ling, and  wholly  devoid  of  moral  excellence  in  degree 
snperior  to  the  meanest  of  his  creatures." 

June  15,  1882: 

"  If  hell  exists,  it  is  plain  to  be  seen  there  was  a 
necessity  for  it.  If  created  before  man,  there  was  no 
necessity  for  its  existence,  for  the  Lord  is  governed 
by  the  idea  of  uses,  and  there  was  x>resent  no  use  for 
it.  Will  it  be  maintained  that  the  Lord  would  create 
any  thing  without  a  use  and  wise  purpose  ?  It  is  the 
uses  of  things  that  so  signally  distinguish  his  crea- 
tive and  moral  governments. 

'"  If  it  is  said  in  reply  that  when  hell  was  fashioned 
and  established  the  Lord  had  in  contemplation  the 
creation  of  man,  and  that  it  was  to  be  subsequently 
rendered  useful  as  a  place  of  punishment  for  disobe- 
dience, which  implies  tliat  the  Lord  knew  in  advance 
of  man's  creation  that  he  would  be  disobedient,  then, 
oh,  man,  you  are  surely  in  the  hands  and  under  the 
power  of  a  merciless  demon,  falsely  called  God.  If 
this  indeed  is  the  true  character  of  our  Lord,  then 
truly  may  his  weak  and  helpless  children  bow  their 
heads  in  sorrow  and  despair. 

"  These  teachers  of  false  theology,  these  false  inter- 
preters of  simple  truth,  these  false  prophets  of  a  false 
conception,  affirm  that  this  appalling  hell,  offspring 
of  a  monster  creative  agency,  is  a  fixed  location  some- 


114  SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

where,  which  they  have  the  candor  to  say,  they  know 
not. 

''  The  theologians  perceiving  throughout  the  vast 
domain  of  universal  nature  two  confronting  opposites 
or  extremes,  and  that  there  scheme  must  fall  if  hell 
were  left  alone  to  be  the  final  destiny  of  the  entire 
human  family,  erect  another  falsity  and  construct  an- 
other place  or  harbor  for  the  sojourners  and  pilgrims 
of  earth,  and  consequently  they  say  that  the  Lord  has 
established  somewhere  in  space  a  heaven,  the  location 
of  which,  although  a  localit}'^,  can  not  be  ascertained. 

"  The  same  questions,  with  equal  propriety,  might 
be  propounded  in  reference  to  heaven  and  the  same 
conclusions  follow.  Was  it  made  for  man  or  man 
for  it  ?  Was  it  made  before  or  after  man  was  made? 
Where  is  it  situate;  who  go  there  and  why  do  they 
go  there,  and  for  what  pui'pose  ?  If  the  theologians 
answer  these  pertinent  questions  in  harmony  with 
their  creeds,  they  would  make  my  friend  John  Cal- 
vin, who  accompanied  me  here  this  morning  and  is 
now  standing  by  my  side,  blush  with  shame.  lie  now, 
as  a  noble  spirit,  pities  the  ignorance  and  credulity 
that  characterized  him  in  his  religious  frenzy  when 
in  the  form,  and  the  credulity  and  weakness  of  his 
followers." 

June  19,1882: 

"The  original  conception  of  a  literal  local  heaven 
and  hell  was  a  feeble  monstrosity  and  far  exceed- 
ing the  intuitions  and  anticipations  of  its  origin- 
ators, it  has  assumed  huge  and  alarming  propor- 
tions. Originally  it  was  treated  either  as  a  human 
created  joke,  or  as  a  wild  vagary  of  the  imagination, 
and  in  both  cases  without  even  the  shadow  of  a  found- 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  115 

ation  in  fact.  But  as  time  moved  along  it  began  to 
grow  seriously  in  the  minds  of  the  morbidly  curious 
and  credulously  constituted,  and  it  found  many  earn- 
est advocates  and  believers,  and  they  were  not  alto- 
gether limited  to  the  ignorant.  Had  this  been  the 
case  it  would  have  been  harmless  and  short-lived.  The 
poet  in  depicting  the  career  of  vice  aptly  illustrates 
the  history  of  this  conception : 

' '  Vice  is  a  monster  of  such  frightful  mien, 
As  to  be  dreaded  needs  to  be  seen. 
Yet  seen  too  oft,  familiar  with  her  face, 
•       We  first  pity,  then  endure,  and  then  embrace.' " 

"  I  unhappily  lived  in  a  day  when  it  had  been  largely 
embraced.  Had  I  lived  in  the  day  when  it  was  con- 
ceived and  promulgated,  or  approximately  near  it 
and  been  possessed  of  the  physical,  mentaland  spirit- 
ual organization  with  which  I  was  favored  iu  earth 
life,  I  would  have  undoubtedly  earnestly  combated  it. 
But  in  my  time  it  had  grown  into  prominence  and 
general  acceptance  among  Christian  sects,  including 
the  Lutheran,  to  which  I  adhered  before  my  spiritual 
illumination  ;  and  hence  while  my  spiritual  medium- 
istic  unfoldment,  mental  adaptabilities  and  capabili- 
ties would  not  allow  me  to  accept  the  literal  teaching 
of  purblind  theology  on  the  subject,  I  was  disqualified 
from  perceiving  and  promulgating  the  real  truth. 
I  endeavored,  however,  to  do  what  the  theologians 
have  never  attempted,  namely,  to  assign  reasons  for 
the  existence  of  heavens  and  hells  iu  justification  and 
defense  of  the  Lord.  The  groundlessness  of  my  phil- 
osophy and  the  impotency  of  my  ^reasoning  I  was 
unable  to  understand  until  the  lapse  of  years  after 


116  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

my  entrance  into  the  spiritual  world,  and  then  only  by 
slow  and  discreet  degrees.  Step  by  step  only  did  I 
receive  the  influx  of  spiritnallight  and  truth,  opening 
my  eyes  to  the  truth  and  impressing  my  soul  with  the 
consciousness  of  the  errors  and  falsities  of  my  teach- 
ings when  on  the  earth  embodied. 

"  In  the  spiritual  world  we  are  not  allowed  to  per- 
ceive truth  except  by  degrees  and  interior  growth, 
and  only  as  we  are  enabled  to  out£?row  and  disown 
error.  Our  errors,  whether  of  acts  and  deeds  com- 
mitted, duties  omitted,  or  false  theories,  either  taught 
or  believed  by  us  when  in  the  form,  follow  us  to  the 
spiritual  world  and  cling  to  us  with  a  perfectly  amaz- 
ing and  persistent  tenacity,  and  this  constitutes  hell 
and  it  exists  nowhere  else." 

June  22,1882: 

"  In  my  philosophy  of  correspondences  there  was 
much  truth,  with  here  and  there  a  shade  of  error. 
It  was  argumentative,  speculative,  and  character- 
ized by  analagous  reasoning,  but  not  sufllciently 
intuitive  to  reach  the  full  height  of  spiritual  induc- 
tion. But  whatever  errors  may  have  crept  into  this 
department  of  my  writings,  they  have  been  compara- 
tively harmless. 

"What  has  given  me  the  greatest  annoyance  since 
my  departure  from  the  flesh,  or  rather  since  I  have 
better  understood  the  subject ;  and  what  has  given 
me  the  greatest  anxiety  to  have  eradicated  from  the 
minds  of  those  who  read  mcbelievingly,  are  my  teach- 
ings on  the  subject  of  the  hells  in  the  spiritual  world, 
I  desire  here  to  lay  down  a  proposition  I  know  to  be 
true,  whoever  may  state  to  the  contrary,  namely:  l^o 
embodied   spirit   was  ever  enabled,  no  matter  how 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  117 

highly  developed  the  organism  of  the  subject,  to  leave 
the  body,  go  into  tlio  spiritual  spheres,  undergo  ex- 
periences there,  behold  scenes,  hold  converse  with 
their  inhabitants,  witness  events  and  occurrences 
transpiring  there,  then  return  to  the  body,  bring  it 
back  into  normal  action,  and  then  correctly  and  in 
detail  and  in  purity  of  narrative  give  to  the  world 
through  the  physical  organism  of  the  body,  what  it 
had  seen,  heard,  and  witnessed,  during  its  temporary 
absence.  If  it  were  otherwise,  and  the  spiritual  world 
a  real,  fixed  and  objective  reality,  all  who  visited  it 
in  spirit  during  pliysical  embodiment,  would  on  re- 
turning and  reanimating  the  body  with  the  returning 
spiritual  influx  impart  the  same  information  and  re- 
cite the  same  story.  The  directly  opposite  of  this  is 
true,  and  settles  the  question  irrevocably  in  the  nega- 
tive as  to  the  alisolute  reliability  of  knowledge  im- 
parted by  spirits  while  inhabiting  the  natural  body, 
although  permitted  by  the  operation  of  a  certain  law 
which  is  neither  wholly  spiritual  nor  physical,  but  a 
combination  of  both,  to  leave  for  a  short  i)oriod  its 
tenement  of  flesh.  Even  then  the  spirit  entire  does 
not  vacate  the  body,  even  for  an  instant  of  time,  for 
if  it  did  life  in  the  body  would  become  immediately 
extinct.  However  far  the  consciousness  of  the  spirit 
may  wander  away  from  its  home  in  the  material 
house  it  must  maintain  an  inseparable  connection  with 
it,  at  least  by  a  portion  of  the  magnetism  of  itself. 
Therefore  during  its  visits  away  it  is  nevertheless  all 
the  while  connected  with  the  body,  and  hampered  and 
fettered  by  it,  and  more  or  less  governed  by  its  laws 
and  conditions.  It  can  not,  therefore,  on  returning, 
and   it   has   never  been  wholly   absent,   give   fully, 


118  SPIRIT   COiMMUNICATIONS. 

purely,  and  correctly  its  spiritual  observations  and 
experiences. 

"  When  I  visited  the  spiritual  world  during  my  era- 
bodied  life  I  was  governed  by  this  same  law  and  sub- 
jected to  the  same  limitations,  and  hence  what  I  re- 
lated was  not  entitled  to  full  credence  and  belief.  So 
it  has  been  in  all  cases  of  trance  in  the  past,  and  will 
continue  to  be  in  the  future  for  ages  yet  to  come.  In 
my  next  I  shall  speak  of  some  instances  illustrative 
of  this  truth." 

June  26,  188i : 

"As  illustrative  of  the  proposition  submitted  in  my 
last  I  will  only  mention  a  few  among  numerous  in- 
stances. 

"  The  book  of  Revelations  states  that  John  visited 
the  Isle  of  Patmos  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  was  then 
and  there  in  the  spirit.  (I  should  have  used  the  ex- 
pression 'entranced'  or  'trance  state/  or  that  'the 
Lord  permitted  me  to  see.')  While  thus  in  the  spirit 
or  trance  state  he  was  taken  to  the  heavens.  After 
resuming  his  normal  condition  in  the  body  he  essays 
to  write  out  what  he  thinks  he  saw,  or  so  much  of  it 
as  he  is  enabled  to  retain  in  memory,  and  call  up  after 
again  fully  controlling  the  physical  body.  He  says 
that  he  saw  beasts  worshiping  around  the  throne  of 
God,  and  that  he  saw  a  beast  rise  out  of  the  sea  with 
seven  heads  and  ten  liorns ;  that  a  book  written  in 
heaven  was  handed  him  with  the  command  that  he 
eat  it,  which  he  assures  us  he  did,  etc.  Does  any  one 
believe  that  these  were  veritable  occurrences,  '  that 
there  were  beasts  in  heaven  full  of  heavenly  love, 
evinced  in  worshiping  before  the  throne,  and  that 
books  were  written  in  heaven  for  men  to  eat?     The 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  119 

Koran  of  Mahomet  is  an  improvement  on  this,  for  it 
was  not  eaten,  but  preserved  for  use. 

"  I^ow,  I  want  to  say  to  the  world,  especially  the 
New  Church  people,  that  my  visions  of  the  hells  had 
no  more  foundation  in  fact  than  John's  beasts,  dragons 
and  goldfn  candlesticks.  The  difference  between 
John  and  myself,  that  is,  the  important  difference, 
consisted  in  the  fact  that  John's  symbolic  visions 
were  explained  to  be  unrealities,  while  I  was  left  to 
believe  mine  to  be  absolute  verities.  In  fact  one  was 
as  unreal  as  the  other,  and  only  forcibly  illustrates 
the  unreliability  of  this  mode  of  deriving  true  and 
genuine  spiritual  knowledge. 

"  Your  own  Andrew  Jackson  Davis  is  another  in- 
stance corroborative  of  my  proposition.  lie  avers 
that  he  has  been,  not  'in  the  spirit,'  like  John,  nor 
'  in  the  trance  state,'  like  myself,  but,  in  more  aesthetic 
phraseology,  '  in  the  superior  state.'  They  all  prac- 
tically mean  the  same  thing.  Davis  says  he  located 
while  in  the  '  superior  state'  the  spirit  world  proper, 
and  found  it  to  be  in  or  bej'ond  the  '  milky  way,'  thus 
inflicting  a  cruel  blow  upon  the  science  of  astronomy. 
Astronomy  teaches,  and  correctly,  too,  as  every  well 
informed  spirit  knows,  that  the  '  milky  way'  is  a  vast 
assemblage  or  constellation  of  suns,  worlds  and  sys- 
tems of  solar  worlds,  and  yet  Mr.  Davis  was  honest. 

"Judge  John  Worth  Edmonds,  in  his  earlier  me- 
diumship  and  spiritualistic  experiences,  visited  the 
other  world  in  spirit,  and  his  description  of  the  hells 
recorded  in  his  work  entitled  '  Spiritualism,'  was 
somewhat  analagous  to  mine,  and  very  much  in  har- 
mony with  it.  Ilis  temperament,  mental  methods, 
and  spiritual  development  were  not  very  dissimilar 


120  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

to  mine,  and  he  liad  been  previously  as  thoroughly 
grounded  in  Calvinism  as  I  had  been  in  Luthcranism. 
So  it  was  but  natural  that  we  should  see  and  inter- 
pret much  alike.  Yet  in  final  conclusions  we  were  in 
absolute  antagonism,  differing  fully  as  widely  as  the 
poles,  or  separated  in  distance  by  terrestrial  measure- 
ment. 

"  Truth  can  not  dissemble  nor  assume  deceptive 
garbs,  and  all  seeing  the  same  things  differently, 
proves  that  neither  could  be  relied  upon,  for  if  they 
had  been  true  and  genuine  verities,  all  would  have 
seen  and  reported  them  alike." 

June  29,  1882 : 

"  Since  I  have  been  inducted  into  higher  light  and 
blessed  with  the  true  knowledge  I  have  been  utterly 
amazed  in  reviewing  my  writings,  resulting  in  the 
discovery  of  two  facts,  namely,  their  prolixity  in  mat- 
ter and  stupendousness  in  folly.  It  seems  to  me  now 
as  almost  utterly  incredible  that  in  my  efforts  at  the 
spiritual  interpretation  of  the  scriptures  I  should  have 
written  so  many  absolutely  silly  and  unmeaningthings. 
It  becomes  my  duty,  and  I  can  not  be  happy  w^ithout 
it,  to  make  this  declaration,  however  humiliating  it 
may  be  to  me,  viewed  from  your  standpoint,  but  the 
truth  and  the  peace,  happiness  and  progress  of  my 
spirit  require  it.  ^o  work  was  ever  written  but  what 
an  ingenious  metaphysician  might  not  twist  out  of 
its  every  paragraph  an  assumed  interior  and  myste- 
rious meaning. 

"But, after  all,  I  was  fortuitous  in  advancing  many 
ennobling  and  wholesome  truths.  In  all  that  I  wrote 
I  take  greater  pride  and  unto  myself  much  rejoicing 
in  my  assaults  upon  the  Lutheran  doctrine  of  justifi- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  121 

cation  by  faith  aione,  and  in  my  enjoining  love  to  the 
neighbor.  However,  to  believe  in  and  teach  the  doc- 
trine of  love  one  to  another,  or  'love  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself,'  does  not  require  an  inspiration  from  heaven. 
It  is  the  doctrine  taught  by  universal  nature  and  in- 
worked  in  the  web  and  woof  of  human  nature.  To 
realize  and  understand  it  we  have  only  to  become 
even  partially  civilized  and  to  commune  with  nature 
and  ourselves. 

"  A  great  portion  of  my  life  has  been  devoted  to 
secular  pursuits  and  the  study  of  natural  science.  I 
also  possessed  some  inventive  genius,  and  during  my 
purely  secular  career  I  was  always  contemplating,  by 
silent  meditation,  employing  the  early  part  of  my  life 
in  the  study  of  the  properties  of  the  human  soul  and 
its  relation  to  the  Lord  and  human  life.  Therefore 
when  I  came  to  engage  the  subject,  it  was  not  a  spon- 
taneous impulsion  to  it,  as  some  have  supposed,  al- 
though it  was  immediately  attended  and  character- 
ized by  a  degree  of  spiritual  illumination  and  inspi- 
ration. I  did  not  approach  the  examination  of  the 
subject  wholly  free  and  untrammeled  by  prejudice 
and  uninfluenced  by  bias.  I  had  previously  conceived 
thoroughly  deep  convictions  relating  to  this  subject, 
and  I  now  know  no  amount  of  spiritual  aid  could 
have  possibly  eradicated  them  sufliciently  to  have  al- 
lowed the  presentation  of  the  plain,  unadulterated 
truth. 

"  Oh,  how  efi'ectually  are  we  enslaved  by  education, 
association  and  mental  training.  The  man  who  can 
overcome  them  in  the  pursuit  of  truth  is  far  superior 
in  all  that  goes  to  make  up  true  manhood  to  the 
crownied  heads  and  pampered  ones  of  earth  ;  yea,  he 


122  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

is  not  only  grand  and  noble  in  the  fnll  stature  of  his 
manhood,  but  he  is  more — ^he  is  godlike." 

July  3,  1882: 

"  I  do  not  affirm  the  non-existence  of  heaven  and 
hell,  but  what  I  would  be  understood  as  affirming  is 
their  non-existence  as  separate,  independent  and  fixed 
localities.  If  you  will  interpret  heaven  to  mean  hap- 
piness, and  hell  its  opposite,  that  is,  misery,  we  can 
fully  agree,  for  this  interpretation  implies  what  is  ver- 
itably true,  namely,  that  they  are  conditions,  and  not 
localities.  As  conditions  they  not  only  exist  in  the 
spiritual  world,  but  also  in  the  sensual  or  material, 
and  apply  to  both  embodied  and  disembodied  man. 

"It  is  related  that  Jesus  said,  'The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  within  you,'  and  never  was  truth  more  com- 
pletely and  potently  uttered.  At  the  time  he  was 
talking  to  men  in  the  body,  and  to  ihera  he  declares, 
*  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  icithin  you.' 

"If  he  is  entitled  to  credit  as  an  authority  on  the 
subject,  and  Christians  certainly  will  not  gainsay  it, 
then  it  is  quite  clear  that  heaven,  being  in  the  human, 
spiritual  beings  is  as  a  locality  nowhere  else.  And 
inasmuch  as  it  could  not  exist  in  the  human  being  as 
a  location,  for  this  would  give  us  millions  upon  in- 
numerable millions  of  localized  heavens,  one  for  each 
breathing  human  embodied  man,  to  become  destroyed 
at  the  death  of  each,  which  is  too  absurd  to  be  seri- 
ously discussed,  it  must  necessarily  follow,  and  as 
clear  as  the  sunlight  of  heaven,  that  whatever  that 
kingdom  may  in  fact  be,  it  is  simply  and  absolutely  a 
condition.  And  we  can  therefore  readily  see  that  as 
a  condition,  different  with  every  human  being,  owing 
to  the  moral  status  and  spiritual  development  of  each. 


SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS.  123 

it  perpetuates  itself  as  truly  and  fully  as  does  the 
spirit  itself  survive  the  dissolution  of  the  aggregated 
physical  atoms  and  forces  of  the  material  body,  and 
moreover  accompanies  the  real  man  into  the  spiritual 
world.     So  with  its  opposite — hell. 

"  If  this  is  conceded,  and  no  Christian  can  deny  it 
with  any  degree  of  consistency,  for  the  moment  he 
docs  he  dishonors  Jesus  as  an  authority,  then  the 
whole  foundation  of  a  local  permanent  hell  is  swept 
away,  and  the  loathsome  superstructure  erected  there- 
upon falls  to  the  ground  forever. 

"Heaven  and  hell,  viewed  in  any  sense,  arc  oppo- 
sites,  and  wherever  they  exist  the}'  must  exist  simul- 
taneously, for  some  are  in  heaven  and  some  in  hell 
all  the  time,  and  therefore  if  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  in  the  children  of  men,  so  also  must  be  the  king- 
dom of  hell,  or  it  does  not  exist  at  all. 

"  With  my  limited  power  I  can  not  elaborate  this 
point,  or  even  present  it  as  I  should  like  to,  and  you 
must  be  content  with  a  bare  and  imperfect  statement." 

July  6,  1882 : 

"  Before  the  mythologists  of  antiquity  had  con- 
structed a  hell  they  had  on  their  hands  a  personal,  in- 
dividualized spirit  of  evil,  known  as  the  serpent  or 
satan,  and  more  modernly  as  the  devil.  Investing 
this  mythological  creature  with  all  the  distinguishing 
attributes  of  the  Lord,  save  that  of  goodness,  they 
must  have  a  localized  place  of  sufficient  capacity,  and 
properly  arranged  for  the  enjoyment  by  him  of  the 
fruits  of  his  labors.  Divesting  him  of  all  goodness 
l^cr  se,  the  hell  of  their  creation  must  necessarily  rep- 
resent his  newly-acquired  condition  of  total  deprav- 
ity, for  previously  he  had  been  an  angel  in  heaven, 


F 


124  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

and  must  possess  the  proper  and  sufficient  elements  to 
enable  him  to  gratify  his  hatred  of  the  Lord  in  the 
punishment  of  his  children.  It  was  but  natural  in 
that  day  that  the  element  of  fire  should  be  chosen,  as 
it  was  supposed  to  be  the  most  destructive  element  in 
nature,  and  best  calculated  in  its  very  nature  to  in- 
duce the  most  intense  and  excruciating  suffering  to 
physical  and  material  bodies  possessed  of  the  ani- 
mating principle  of  animal  life.  In  their  unspiritual 
and  ignorant  state  they  supposed  and  believed  that 
the  bodies  in  the  other  world  would  be  similar  to  those 
in  this,  and  therefore  subject  to  similar  eifects  from 
heat  and  fire.  What  a  monstrous  conception,  and 
how  utterly  inexplicable  that  it  should  ever  have  been 
believed.  Even  John  the  Revelator  took  a  material 
view  of  hell,  and  described  it  as  a  '  lake  of  fire  and 
brimstone.' 

"  I  was  compelled,  or  rather  impelled,  from  reason 
or  from  experiences  sufficiently  clear,  in  my  frequent 
moods  or  states  of  spiritual  exaltation  to  depart  from 
this  grossly  materialistic  view.  While  my  hells  were 
in  the  plural,  yet  I  fell  into  nearly  as  great  error  in 
my  creations.  They  were  the  progeny  of  imperfect 
visions,  imperfectly  understood  and  grossly  erroneous 
in  their  relation. 

"  You  have  only  to  think  a  moment  seriously  to 
discover  the  utter  folly  of  my  hells,  and  I  will  only 
present  one  instance  among  many  equally  absurd. 
You  will  find  in  my  'memorable  relations'  that  I 
spoke  of  a  certain  class  of  Jews  and  others  wading 
through  mud,  quagmires  and  swamps,  and  being  in- 
juriously affected  by  them,  and  this  for  the  purposes 
of  punishment.     Is'ow,  the   conception    of  a  spirit, 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  125 

composed  largely  of  pure  ether,  wading  in  tlie  mire 
and  wallowing  in  spiritual  miasmatic  swamps  and 
filthy  dirt,  is  only  equaled  by  the  mythological  con- 
ception believed  in  and  advocated  by  Christians  that 
a  spirit  could  be  effected  to  any  degree  of  suffering  by 
material  fire  and  brimstone.  Both  conceptions  are  as 
false  as  God  is  true. 

"  In  reference  to  the  mythological  arcli  fiend  of  man- 
kind let  us  summarize :  First  an  angel  in  heaven  ;  then 
a  rebel ;  then  a  war  in  the  peaceful  realms  of  heaven, 
instigated  by  this  fiend  ;  then  the  fall  from  the  angelic 
state ;  then  a  transformation  into  a  terrible  and  grim 
devil ;  then  the  building  of  a  hell  for  his  use,  conve- 
nience and  felicity,  and  then  turning  over  to  his  con- 
trol and  malignant  fiendishness  three-fourths  or  more 
of  poor,  weak  beings,  creatures  of  an  Infinite  God, 
and  you  have  fitly  spoken  a  system  that  could  only 
have  originated  in  an  orthodox  liell,  figuratively 
speaking,  and  by  an  orthodox  devil,  and  which  for 
malevolence  far  exceeds  anything  ever  thought  of  in 
this  or  any  other  world." 

July  17,1882: 

"  The  bible  makers  having  established  a  heaven  and 
hell,  with  God  presiding  over  the  one  and  the  devil 
over  the  other,  were  driven  to  the  necessity  of  con- 
cocting a  scheme  for  populating  them.  The  God  of 
their  creation  they  represent  to  be  possessed  of  infinite 
perfections  and  glory,  and  heaven  the  very  ideal  of 
grandeur  and  beatitude.  One  would  very  naturally 
conclude  that  in  their  scheme  they  would  have  so 
arranged  that  God  would  have  had  the  first  choice, 
and  heaven  the  destination  of  the  best  and  wisest  of 
the  denizens  of  earth.     Nothing  short  of  this  could 


126  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

have  so  completely  enamored  us  of  the  conception 
and  rendered  heaven  devoutly  to  be  wished  for ;  but 
hero  tlje  arrangement  in  value  and  superlative  worth 
meets  with  a  severe  set  back.  One  of  the  weak  and 
frail  points  in  the  scheme  consists  in  not  allowing  this 
infinite  God  to  have  his  own  choice  in  selecting  those 
to  become  consociated  with  him  in  enjoying  celestial 
delights  in  heaven.  Human  nature,  by  the  fall  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden,  became  weak  and  subjected  to  ma- 
lign influences  with  an  inadequacy  of  repellant  power 
to  overcome  them.  The  cruel  authors  of  this  system, 
while  they  establish  their  god  in  heaven,  a  far  distant 
locality,  and  keep  him  there  constantly  occupied  and 
absorbed  with  the  music  and  praises  of  the  ransomed 
few,  turn  tlio  devil  loose  to  roam  at  will,  and  invest 
him  not  only  with  the  deific  attribute  of  omnipres- 
ence, but  also  confer  upon  him  the  extraordinary 
power  without  restraint  of  assuming  angel's  garbs 
even  to  the  deceiving  of  the  elect.  In  addition  they 
place  under  his  authority  and  to  do  his  bidding  an 
unlimited  number  of  smaller  devils,  whose  services 
have  been  utilized  by  him  in  preying  upon  the  peace 
and  happiness  of  the  children  of  this  world,  and  in 
preparing  their  souls  for  eternal  j)unishment  and  sub- 
servience to  his  will  in  the  world  to  come." 

July  20,  1882  : 

*'  To  counteract  this  terrible  invisible  influence  of 
evil  no  power  of  equal  potency  is  furnished.  They 
say  that  God's  holy  spirit  in  conjunctive  co-operation 
with  the  saints  embodied  (they  mean,  of  course,  the 
preachers  and  good  church  people)  is  seeking  man's 
deliverance  and  salvation.  They  confess,  however, 
that  this  agenc-y  is  impotent  when  compared  with  the 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  127 

power  wielded  by  the  devil  and  his  invisible  cohorts. 
They  make  Jesus  say  substantially  that  the  road  that 
leads  to  heaven  is  narrow  and  circumscribed  and  few 
travel  in  it,  while  the  road  that  leads  to  hell  is  broad 
and  the  many  travel  therein,  '  many  shall  be  called, 
but  few  chosen,'  etc.,  etc. 

"  If  their  system  be  true  we  are  forced  inevitably 
to  conclude  that  when  the  creative  energies  residing 
in  man  have  succeeded  in  producing  a  high  order  of 
intellection  the  devil  straightway  captures  them,  leav- 
ing heaven  to  be  peopled  without  the  presence  of  the 
great  and  godlike  in  mental  power.  It  would  seem 
prudent  and  wise  that  this  should  have  been  other- 
wise arranged  in  order  to  have  rendered  heaven  rea- 
sonably and  fairly  intellectual.  Ko  wonder,  there- 
fore, that  their  highest  conceptions  of  worship  and 
gratitude  consisted  in  keeping  up  around  the  throne 
of  the  Lord  a  continual  musical  concert,  both  vocal 
and  instrumental.  Such  distino^uished  and  illustrious 
souls  as  AYashington,  Jefferson,  Webster,  Clay,  Lin- 
coln, Garfield,  Paine,  Voltaire,  and  others,  could  not 
be  induced  to  participate  for  all  future  time  in  such 
exercises,  for  their  mental  constitutions  were  too  ro- 
bust and  great  and  their  souls  too  much  interested  in 
other  and  more  ennobling  pursuits.  This  kind  of 
heaven  would  not  suit  souls  of  such  intellectual  pro- 
portions, and  the  orthodox  hell,  if  accompanied  by 
suffering,  would  bo  preferable  to  them,  because  their 
associations,  at  least,  would  be  intellectual,  for  the 
devil  is  said  to  bo  exceedingly  wise,  and  all  wise  souls 
live  and  delight  in  kindred  consociations." 

July  21,1882: 

"  According  to  the  orthodox  scheme,  heaven,  hell, 


128  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

and  the  devil,  all  go  together,  or,  in  other  words,  they 
are  inseparably  connected  with  and  belong  to  the 
plan.  Heaven  would  be  the  destination  of  all  with- 
out a  hell  and  vice  versa.  Heaven  and  hell  are  in  an- 
tagonism, and  there  would  be  no  strife  but  by  and 
through  the  devil,  and  therefore  his  existence  is  a 
necessity  to  this  end.  God  is  too  good  to  take  part 
in  this  strife,  and  is  either  indiiferent  or  too  weak  to 
avert  it.  Even  when  the  war  in  heaven,  according  to 
Milton,  was  waged  between  the  devil  and  the  Lord, 
with  relentless  i'nvy,  he  would  take  no  direct  and  act- 
ive part,  but  commissioned  Michael  his  generalissimo. 
How  could  he  now  be  expected  to  take  an  immediate 
and  active  part,  even  to  save  his  own  defenseless  chil- 
dren. Earthly  parents  act  quite  differently  when 
their  offspring  are  in  peril,  and  so  do  the  beasts  of  the 
field  and  the  fowls  of  the  air.  I  am  talking  iron- 
ically only  to  show  the  utter  folly  of  the  whole  matter. 
"  In  this  connection  did  you  ever  think  why  it  is 
that  the  devil  is  continually  seeking  the  moral  over- 
throw and  eternal  ruin  of  the  human  family  ?  It  is 
not  because  he  has  any  ill  feeling  for  cause  against 
the  children  of  men.  They  have  never  given  him  any 
occasion,  and  as  we  have  seen,  in  their  helpless  con- 
dition, they  could  not  if  they  would.  According  to 
the  bible  and  the  claims  of  Christians  they  have  al- 
ways done  just  as  the  devil  wanted  them  to.  He 
w^anted  Adam  and  Eve  to  eat  the  apple  and  they  did 
80.  He  wanted  Abraham  to  debauch  Hagar,  and  after 
her  ruin  to  turn  her  loose  with  her  helpless  babe  on 
her  bosom  amid  the  wilds  of  the  wilderness  of  Beer- 
sheba,  and  Abraham  did  so.  He  wanted  Noahio  drink 
of  the  wine  and  become  drunken,  and  Noah  hesitated 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  129 

not,  etc.  So  in  fact  tlic  assumption  can  not  be  main- 
tained that  tlic  devil  in  capturing  nine-tenths  of  the 
human  family  is  actuated  by  any  malignant  feeling 
towards  his  victims.  The  reason  lies  elsewhere.  We 
are  assured  by  the  bible  theologians  and  their  coad- 
jutors that  the  devil  is  solely  actuated  by  his  intense 
hatred  of  the  Lord  and  the  purpose  of  wreaking  ven- 
geance upon  him  for  banishing  him  from  heaven  and 
the  angelic  state.  If  this  is  true  common  justice  and 
sympathy  for  the  suffering  of  the  unoffending  im- 
pose most  seriously  the  duty  upon  the  Lord,  either  to 
conciliate  the  devil  in  the  interest  of  harmony,  peace 
and  concord,  and  to  save  his  helpless  children,  or  de- 
stroy outright  this  malignant  enemy  of  his.  If  he' 
will  do  neither,  nor  arrest  him  in  his  diabolical  work, 
then  truly  are  we  justified  not  only  in  withholding 
homage  from  him,  but  also  in  regarding  him  equally 
at  enmity  with  our  welfare  and  a  party  (particej^s 
crminis)  in  causing  our  sufferings  and  preparing  our 
eternal  doom." 

July  27,  1882: 

"  Why  seriously  discuss  questions  that  are  fast 
fading  out  of  sight  ?  The  advancement  of  mind  and 
the  development  of  spiritual  discernment  are  on  the 
eve  of  relegating  old  antiquated  theories  and  ideas  to 
the  past  ages  of  heathen  darkness,  where  they  prop- 
erly belong.  Total  depravity  throwing  its  dark  man- 
tle over  tender  infancy — parent  of  the  doctrine  of  in- 
fant damnation — is  no  longer  taught  or  believed  by 
enlightened  clergymen  and  their  followers.  It  only 
has  a  sickly  foothold  where  the  people  are  spiritually 
dominated  by  an  ignorant  or  pusillanimous  priest- 
hood.    Why,  therefore,  seek  to  revive  by  serious  dis- 


130  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

cussion  any  interest  in  dogmas  now  almost  inanimate 
and  staggering  to  tlieir  final  fall  and  eternal  sleep. 
Let  them  die  serenely  if  they  can,  and  be  buried  out 
of  sight  without  pomp  or  regret.  We  have  questions 
of  greater  moment  and  of  much  more  value  to  man- 
kind, and  to  them  let  us  address  ourselves.  All  things 
are  not  only  progressive  but  eternally  progressing. 
Must  we  therefore  resolve  that  systems  of  religion 
and  theological  dogmas  are  finished  and  settled  for- 
ever. If  so,  when  did  this  divinely  appointed  con- 
summation take  place  ?  It  certainly,  if  true,  must  be 
an  event  of  recent  date.  By  whom  settled,  how  and 
when  ?  Certainly  not  by  the  old  Tvomisli  Church  and 
the  hierarchy  established  at  Nice  and  Laodicia,  for 
their  history  since  has  been  characterized  by  quarrels 
and  dissensions,  which  at  times  have  threatened  their 
very  existence.  And  certainly  no  one  will  seriously 
maintain  that  they  have  reached  the  high  altitude  of 
final  and  definite  settlement  by  Luther,  Calvin  and 
others  in  their  departure  from  the  original  faith.  Some 
of  the  articles  of  faith  of  these  have  either  been  dis- 
carded or  quietly  abandoned,  and  those  left  have  been 
modified,  and  are  scarcely  an  improvement  on  the 
originals.  In  candidly  looking  over  the  whole  field 
among  the  religious  sects  now  extant,  only  one  thing 
is  discovered  to  be  mutually  agreed  upon,  and  that  is 
that  man  lives  after  death.  We  hardly  need  to  stop 
to  except  those  semi-materialistic  Christians  who 
claim  that  a  future  existence  at  all  depends  wholly 
on  the  physical  resurrection  of  the  material  body  at 
some  vague  and  indefinite  period  of  future  time.  This 
doctrine  is  so  unscientific  and  so  disconsonant  with 


SPIKIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  131 

reason  that  we  pass  it  by  with  a  mere  reference 
to  it." 

July  28,  1882 : 

"The  €!atholics  have  three  states  for  the  dead, 
Heaven,  Ilell  and  Purgatory ;  the  thorough  orthodox 
Protestants  two,  striking  out  purgatory;  while  the 
Universalists  insist  on  expunging  hell  from  the  cata- 
logue. Some  will  have  one  God,  and  others  a  trinity 
of  them.  But  they  difter  materially  as  to  the  course 
to  pursue  in  order  to  obtain  the  divine  favor,  holy 
unction  and  saving  grace  of  the  Lord.  Here  they  are 
put  to  the  severest  test.  It  is  infinitely  of  less  moment 
to  ascertain  how  many  gods  rule  above,  or  how  many 
states  of  the  dead,  as  it  is  to  know  how  to  reach  the 
much  desired  haven  of  peace  and  happiness  in  the 
eternal  world. 

"A  prudent  man  would  be  comparatively  indiffer- 
ent as  to  how  many  ruling  sovereigns  over  the  desti- 
nies of  man,  or  how  many  locations  of  consignment 
for  their  souls,  so  he  is  enabled  to  attain  unto  the 
highest  good,  and  this  consideration  more  imperatively 
absorbs  his  attention.  Knowledge  of  the  former  would 
be  valueless  without  knowledge  of  the  latter.  And 
hence  in  seeking  to  become  familiar  with  the  latter  is 
where  he  becomes  lost  in  the  labyrinthian  mazes  of 
divergent  and  perplexingly  diversified  theologies. 

"One  would  have  you  attend  to  the  confessional, 
do  penance  and  observe  and  conform  to  the  dictums 
emanating  from  the  Roman  Pontiff  and  the  impe- 
rious mandates  of  priests,  thereby  securing  absolution 
from  the  consequences  of  sin,  and  due  preparation  for 
the  next  world.  Another  admonishes  you  that  your 
salvation  depends  on  the  nature  and  degree  of  faith 


132  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

ill  tlie  atoning  sacrifice  Another  that  you  must  be- 
come regenerated  and  washed  of  inherited  and  com- 
mitted sins  by  belief  in  and  conformity  to  certain  spe- 
cific and  definitely  prescribed  tenets.  And  stiU  another, 
that  a  good,  moral  life  is  the  one  thing  needful,  Jesus 
having  paid  the  penalty  of  sin  and  triumphed  over  it 
for  the  whole  of  mankind.  And  so  on,  scarcely  with- 
out limit,  do  these  various  and  varied  systems  present 
themselves  to  perplex  and  annoy." 

July  31,  1882: 

"  Instead  of  there  being  one,  two  or  three  states  of 
the  dead,  the  truth  is  there  are  an  infinite  number  and 
variety  of  conditions  in  which  the  children  of  men 
exist  in  the  spiritual  world  with  the  qualification  that 
they  do  not  remain  in  them  longer  than  they  are  ena- 
bled to  progress  out  of  them  into  other  and  higher 
ones.  The  plain  truth  is,  as  every  intelligent  and 
fairly  progressed  returning  spirit  will  tell  you,  that 
faith  and  belief  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  in  deter- 
mining your  status  in  the  spiritual  world,  nor  will 
what  a  man  believes,  however  erroneous  it  may  verily 
be,  if  he  is  honest  in  it,  have  any  potency  in  prepar- 
ing the  spiritual  conditions  or  assigning  him  his  spir- 
itual sphere.  Here  we  must  be  clearly  understood, 
that  we  may  avoid  both  misapprehension  and  misre- 
presentation. I  do  not  afiirm  that  false  beliefs  and 
erroneous  conceptions  of  the  hereafter  do  not  have 
any  effect  on  the  spirit.  They  do  have  a  very 
troublesome  efiect.  They  do  not,  however,  in  the 
slightest  degree,  determine  the  spiritual  status,  for 
this  is  regulated  by  other  considerations — moral 
conduct,  noble  acts,  spiritual  unfoldment,  etc.  But 
when  the  proper  sphere  is  reached  after  daath,  for 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  133 

which  the  new-comer  is  Bpiritually  fitted,  they  halt 
him  there,  and  for  a  time  impede  and  retard  his  prog- 
ress, at  least  until  he  shall  have  outgrown  false  beliefs 
and  conceptions  while  in  the  material  body.  A  man 
may  sincerely  believe  that  the  veritable  orthodox  devil 
is  his  constant  companion,  or  that  the  air  is  swarming 
with  malevolent  creatures  bent  on  his  ruin,  or  that  he 
is  totally  depraved  by  inheritance,  and  destined  to 
utter  and  endless  wretchedness  in  the  other  world,  or 
any  thing  else,  however  absurd  and  untrue,  and  yet 
that  man's  whole  earth  life  may  have  been  justly  dis- 
tinguished for  charitable  deeds,  love  of  the  neighbor, 
and  in  all  his  habits,  walks  and  ways  all  that  the  se- 
verest moralists  could  require,  do  you  not  at  once  see 
that  in  all  justice  and  righteousness  the  man's  life, 
acts  and  deeds  must  inevitably  determine  his  sphere 
or  spiritual  condition,  without  the  slightest  interfer- 
ence by  what  foolish  things  lie  may  have  believed. 
And  yet  it  is  nevertheless  not  difficult  to  see  further, 
that  he  must  disabuse  his  mind  of  those  errors  of  con- 
ception and  belief  before  he  can  make  any  appreciable 
and  valuable  progress.  And  I  tell  you  these  unbeliefs 
and  unfounded  conceptions  cling  to  the  man  with 
more  obdurate  persistency  than  the  most  of  mankind 
could  be  induced  to  believe.  Hence  the  prime  im- 
portance of  forming  correct  ideas  of  the  future  while 
still  animating  the  material  body." 

August  3,  1882 : 

"  Acts  of  charity  and  deeds  of  benevolence  are  es- 
timated by  the  spiritual  laws  of  our  being  in  just  cor- 
respondence to  the  motives  inspiring  and  actuating 
them.  By  the  motives  prompting  them,  more  than 
the  acts  and  deeds  themselves,  do  they  become  either 


134  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

valuable  or  valueless  to  our  spiritual  promotion  and 
good.  I  liave  known  men  who  devoted  a  lil'etime  of 
arduous  labor  in  the  acquisition  of  Avoalth,  all  the 
while  wholly  regardless  of  the  interests  and  wants  of 
others,  and  tow^ard  the  end  of  the  puny  life,  and  in 
anticipation  of  the  near  approach  of  death,  they  be- 
queathed their  accumulations  to  charitable  and  be- 
nevolent institutions,  only  to  find  themselves  the  mer- 
est spiritual  paupers  in  the  spiritual  world.  And 
w^iy?  Because  being  governed  a  lifetime  by  grasp- 
ing and  selfish  motives,  they  only  dispensed  the  accu- 
mulated results  of  the  cultivated  spirit  of  avarice  and 
cupidity  under  the  selfish  and  painfully  delusive  mo- 
tive of  enhancing  their  interests  in  a  w^orld  to  wdiich 
their  aged  infirmity  admonished  them  they  were 
hastening.  Upon  their  entrance  to  the  spiritual  world 
the  motive  met  them,  and  overshadowed  them  Avith 
its  pitiless  condemnation. 

"  Had  charity  and  benevolence  characterized  their 
lives  all  along  for  the  sake  of  doing  good  and  bless- 
ing others,  it  would  have  been  quite  otherwise  with 
them  in  the  eternal  world  of  justice  and  truth. 

*'  Charities  bestowed  only  possess  eternal  value 
when  done  for  sweet  charity's  sake,  and  with  the  un- 
selfish object  of  helping  others.  This  constitutes  love 
and  genuine  love  of  the  neighbor,  and  is  consequently 
divine  and  heavenly  and  of  permanent  and  enduring 
value. 

"  The  Confucian  doctrine,  '  Do  unto  others  as  you 
would  they  should  do  unto  you.,'  reiterated  by  the 
man  Jesus,  contains  the  great  and  salutary  rule  of  life, 
which  if  practiced  with  the  holiest  and  most  disinter- 
ested motives  will  inevitably  work  out  a  most  glori- 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  135 

ous  fiitiiro  reward  for  the  spirit.  The  shepherd  kings 
promulgated  this  rule  in  a  liner  sense  and  reduced  it 
to  the  iinc  realm  of  mind.  The  Confucian  rule  re- 
lated to  the  actions  of  men,  one  to  the  other,  but  the 
other  declares,  *  Think  of  others  as  you  would  have 
others  think  of  you.'  If  your  thouglits  and  actions 
are  governed  hy  these  rules  you  may  conclude  j^ou  are 
not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven  or  angelic  sphere. 
If  you  observe  these  because  you  love  the  right,  you 
can  not  fail  to  love  the  Lord  with  all  your  heart  and 
the  neighbor  as  yourself,  thus  fuliilling  the  law  of 
spiritual  growth  and  development  while  in  the  temple 
of  flesh,  and  insuring  a  condition  of  superlative  hap- 
piness in  the  spiritual  world.  If  in  your  present  state 
of  development  you  can  not  do  this,  you  can,  at  least, 
make  the  honest  and  persevering  effort  to  do  it,  and 
your  reward  shall  be  great." 

August  7,  1882  : 

"  Abstain  from  evil-doing  from  the  conscientious 
conviction  that  it  is  wrong  to  do  evil  and  right  to  ab- 
stain. Do  not  allow  yourself,  in  choosing  between 
right  and  wrong,  to  be  governed  by  a  fear  of  future 
punishment,  or  hope  of  future  reward,  for  this  is  cow- 
ardly and  pusillanimous  and  of  no  practical  value  to 
your  future  happiness.  Do  right  for  the  sake  of  the 
right  and  not  from  the  selfish  motive  of  deriving  a 
personal  benefit.  You  have  in  your  world  two  very 
injurious  and  reprehensible  doctrines  taught  by 
learned  men, namely :  materialism  and  forgiveness  of 
sins.  They  are  both  degrading  and  far  reaching  in 
their  baleful  consequences.  Christians  treat  material- 
ism with  scornful  derision,  and  yet  it  is  just  as  true 
as  that  the  misdeeds  of  life  can  be  overcome  and  ren- 


136  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

derecl  harmless  in  their  following  consequences  by 
death-bed  repentance  and  the  blood  of  atonement. 
One  IS  as  true  as  the  other,  and  my  presence  here  in 
spirit  proves  materialism  to  be  groundless.  Material- 
ism is  the  doctrine  of  one  world  only,  a  mere  passing 
moment  of  life,  and  suggests  very  naturally  to  make 
the  most  out  of  it.  I  do  not  mean  to  be  understood 
as  asserting  that  there  are  not  good  honest  people 
who  believe  in  this  doctrine,  but  that  they  are  good 
and  honest  in  spite  of  their  belief  and  not  as  a  result 
of  it.  The  theological  hearsay  which  proclaims  the 
necessity  of  conversion,  new  birth,  and  regeneration 
(they  are  convertible  terms)  would  be  much  more 
plausible  if  not  supplemented  by  the  more  alarming 
and  reprehensible  doctrine  of  obtaining  full  pardon 
for  repeated  crimes  and  misdeeds  just  preceding  or  at 
the  imminent  moment  of  departing  from  the  material 
body  by  so-called  death.  The  first  becomes  bereft  of 
its  value,  if  indeed  it  has  any,  by  the  latter.  It  is  tan- 
tamount to  asking  a  man  to  liquidate  an  indebtedness 
now,  when,  under  the  law,  he  has  ten  or  twenty  years 
option.  In  a  purely  business  view  he  realizes  that  the 
possession  and  use  of  his  money  for  ten  or  twenty 
years  is  to  him  a  matter  of  pecuniary  interest  and 
profit.  So  likewise  is  it  with  the  man  of  the  world 
with  an  organization  tending  to  licentiousness  and 
vice.  He  perceives  no  wisdom  or  practical  use  in  be- 
coming regenerated  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  when 
in  old  age  the  opportunity  is  afibrded  to  repent  and 
thereby  avoid  the  consequences  of  the  loose  indul- 
gences and  vices  of  a  lifetime.  Every  villain  who  has 
run  a  lifetime  unwhipt  of  justice  and  unpunished  for 
his  crimes,  must  be  fascinated  with  this  indulgent 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  137 

fallacy,  while  all  truly  noble  souls  must  silently,  if  not 
avowedly,  abhor  and  detest  it." 

August  10,  1882 : 

"  While  the  Universalists  are  considered  liberal 
and  progressive,  yet  their  doctrine  is  equally  dan- 
gerous and  untrue.  Indeed,  I  have  more  respect 
for  the  others.  They  (the  Universalists)  claim  to 
stand  upon  the  Word,  and  affirm  that  the  blood  and 
death  of  one  man  propitiated  sin  so  far  as  the  future 
life  is  concerned,  and  that  therefore  sinning  entails  no 
hurtful  consequences  but  such  as  are  met  with  alon^: 
the  journey  of  life  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  lu 
other  words,  that  the  consequences  of  sin  are  visited 
upon  us  during  our  earth  life,  or  not  at  all.  They  at- 
tempt to  justify  and  defend  their  doctrine  by  a  mero 
play  upon  words  found  in  isolated  passages  in  the 
bible,  especially  the  epistles  in  the  ^ew  Testament. 
The  declarative  assumptions  of  the  bible,  as  trans- 
lated for  your  use  and  guidance,  are  utterly  at  war 
with  their  teachings,  and  it  is  folly  to  deny  it.  In  thi  5 
age  when  the  human  heart  and  mind  are  reaching  ou': 
for  something  better  it  is  useless  and  unproductive  of 
good  to  go  back  to  the  root  of  words  in  originals  to 
bolster  up  a  doctrine  founded  in  error.  The  effort 
Avill  always  prove  unprofitable  and  must  inevitably 
fail  of  its  purpose. 

"  I  am  aware  that  some  advanced  and  more  spirit- 
ually minded  Universalists  believe  in  progression  in 
the  future  life,  and  in  this  regard  their  conclusions 
are  better  and  far  in  advance  of  their  premises. 

"  I  would  say  to  those,  however  good  and  pure,  who 
expect  to  awake  to  consciousness  in  an  ideal  world  of 
transcendent  beatitudes  without  shadows  and  crosse.5 


138  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

tlnit  they  will  realize  a  most  perplexing  disappoint- 
ment. They  will  find  a  world  more  natural  than  this, 
because  more  substantial  and  enduring,  and  what  is 
more  they  will  find  they  lack  very  much  of  being  per- 
fect, more  perfect  indeed  in  undevelopment  than  in 
that  soul  growth  and  unfoldment  that  would  enable 
them  to  command  the  joys  and  delights  vouchsafed  by 
association  with  progressed  spiritual  beings  in  the 
higher  walks  and  spheres  of  the  spiritual  world.  To 
attain  unto  this  state  is  the  work  of  time  and  the  re- 
ward of  labor. 

"  The  true  doctrine  is,  as  all  shall  know  in  time 
that  conscious  and  willful  sinning,  that  is,  where  voli- 
tion in  choosing  between  the  right  and  the  wrong  was 
within  our  power,  is  treasured  up  in  the  memory  of 
the  spirit  and  confronts  us  in  the  spiritual  world,  and 
will  remain  until  outgrown  and  overcome  by  arduous 
efifbrt.  Happiness  can  only  be  enjoyed  by  the  finite 
in  contrast  with  misery,  and  shadows  and  crosses  will 
fall  upon  us,  marring  our  joys,  until  in  the  ages  of 
coming  time  we  shall  so  expand  and  grow  toAvards 
deific  perfections  and  excellences  as  to  think  no  evil, 
thus  not  only  rendering  our  actions  submissive  to  the 
highest  wisdom,  but  our  hearts  and  minds  to  the 
divine  love,  and  in  a  happy  union  of  love,  wisdom, 
and  the  will,  we  shall  become  something  more  than 
finite  in  our  approach  to  the  infinite." 

August  11,  1882  : 

"  Nevertheless  let  it  be  said  to  the  humblest,  strug- 
gle on,  strive  to  battle  for  the  right  as  you  perceive  it. 
If  vou  see  it  not  ario;ht  in  oroodtime  it  will  be  revealed 
unto  you.  Be  of  good  cheer.  You  must  needs  suf- 
fer, for  suffering  in  the  right  is  spiritual  growth — you 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  139 

are  contiually  encircled  by  infinite  love.  You  shall 
rise  step  by  step,  unfolding  this  latentpower  and  that, 
gradually  and  by  discreet  degrees  casting  aside  this 
harrowing  and  distressing  memory  and  that,  all  the 
while  aided  by  those  spirits  who  have  passed  through 
tribulations  and  sorrows  into  higher  unfoldments  and 
joys,  until  finally  you  shall  rejoice  in  blissful  disen- 
thrallment  from  the  imperfections  of  your  past  being. 
Then  you  will  be  enabled  to  see  why  you  have  thus 
sutfered  and  rejoice  that  it  has  been  so.  No  pang 
will  afflict  you  worse  than  those  you  have  inflicted 
upon  others,  or  of  greater  magnitude  than  thousands 
and  millions  have  endured.  Be  kind  and  forbearing 
to  the  erring,  be  merciful  to  all,  even  the  humblest 
creature  of  the  creation.  Deal  justly  with  all,  live 
uprightly,  fear  nothing  but  evil  and  fly  from  it.  Be 
brave  for  the  right.  Love  yourncighbor,  which  being 
spiritually  interpreted,  means  all  mankind.  Endeavor 
to  learn  and  believe  truth  wherever  found  ;  try,  if  pos- 
sible, to  think  no  evil ;  worship  at  no  shrine  but  that 
uf  eternal  truth,  and  no  harm  can  come  to  you  in  the 
everlasting  realms  of  immortal  souls.  No  shadows 
shall  darken  the  pathway  of  your  progress  other  than 
those  incident  to  your  connection  witli  matter  and 
your  undeveloped  spirituality.  And  these  shall  be 
dissipated,  'facilitated,  and  accelerated,  by  the  sweet 
memories  of  good  deeds  and  good  thoughts. 

"  In  the  feeble  communications  I  have  given  you, 
by  the  permission  of  the  Lord,  I  have  not  been  able 
to  impart  my  ideas  in  the  same  language  and  style 
that  characterized  my  writings  when  embodied.  I 
know  they  will  be  subjected  to  this  criticism,  but  the 
difficulties  of  projecting  my  ideas  into  form  in  words 


140  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

liave  been  many  and  great.  If  they  were  explained 
they  iu  turn  woukl  bo  criticised  with  equal  virulence. 
When  coming  within  the  radius  of  mediumistic  aura 
we  encounter  obstacles  great  and  difficult  to  overcome 
at  their  state  of  mediumship.  Happily  in  time  these 
difficulties  will  be  surmounted.  The  aura  of  the  me- 
dium and  sitter  blending  with  my  spirit  magnetism, 
your  continued  thinking  and  also  the  medium,  thereby 
disturbing  the  equability  of  the  magnetic  and  electric 
emanations,  and  to  a  corresponding  degree  affecting 
the  psychic  forces  of  the  communicating  spirit,  and 
other  tilings  you  would  not  understand  if  told  you, 
iill  conspire  to  enfeeble  the  spirit  intellectually,  and, 
to  a  certain  extent,  limit  it  to  the  mental  sphere  of 
those  presQjit,  especially  the  medium,  upon  whom  we 
are  so  largely  dependent.  If  you  understood  the  sub- 
ject as  it  really  is,  you  would  be  surprised  that  we 
could  even  do  so  well.  You,  my  dear  Swedish  friend, 
have  aided  us  nobly;  your  motives  being  so  pure  and 
honest,  we  found  in  that  itself  a  great  auxiliary,  and 
we  sincerely  thank  you.  I  shall  be  with  you  often, 
and  shall  reward  your  many  kindnesses  by  helping 
your  sweet  and  interesting  children  in  spirit  life  and 
others  dear  to  you,  to  learn  spiritual  wisdom  in  their 
progress,  and  shall  take  a  deep  interest  in  you  when 
you  come  to  our  life. 

"  God  bless  this  medium,  for  she  is  worthy.  In  earn- 
est supplication  we  invoke  the  blessings  of  the  Lord, 
angels  and  spirits  upon  you  both. 

"  Emanuel  Swedenborg." 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  141 


CHAPTER  XII. 

GEORGE    AVASHINGTON. 

On  the  16th  of  June  the  following  communication 
was  received,  and  those  following  at  the  dates  men- 
tioned, from  the  spirit  of  George  Washington  : 

*'  From  my  home  and  congenial  associations  in  the 
spirit  world  I  come  to  you  to-day  feeling  and  hoping 
that  I  may  possibly  be  of  some  service  to  my  country, 
which  I  have  never  ceased  to  love  with  the  tender- 
ness of  a  mother's  love  for  her  children.  Indeed,  my 
country — the  noble  j'oung  republic — was  kind  to  and 
considerate  of  mo  far  above  my  merits. 

*'  In  the  memorable  struggle  for  independence  I  was 
assigned  to  duty  at  the  head  of  the  colonial  army, 
and  by  this  circumstance  occupied  a  position  that  at- 
tracted to  me  more  general  attention  than  to  others 
who  were  in  nowise  less  meritorious.  After  seven 
long  years  of  patient  suffering,  heroic  endurance,  and 
almost  superhuman  exertion,  our  gallant  and  illy- 
provided  army  won  an  honorable  peace,  and  I  trust 
an  imperishable  renown.  A  nation  of  freemen  was 
brought  into  being,  and  a  system  of  government  es- 
tablished far  in  advance  of  its  predecessors.  The  old 
Roman  republic,  grand  in  many  respects  and  a  marvel 
of  excellence  for  its  time,  was  still  in  many  regards 
vastly  inferior  to  our  own.  Beiag  at  the  head  of  the 
brave  army  whose  herculean  efforts,  exerted  under 
many  disadvantageous  circumstances,  eventuated  so 
gloriously,  it  was  natural,  although  no  more  worthy 


142  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIOJfS. 

than  many  others  wlio  rendered  patriotic  services, 
that  I  shouhl  be  chosen  the  tirst  executive  of  the  young 
republic.  This,  to  nie,  was  a  most  flattering  testimo- 
nial of  the  high  ai)preciation  of  and  affection  for  the 
gallant  citizen  soldiery  who  so  valiantly  acted  in  the 
stirring  and  sanguinary  events  of  the  memorable  con- 
test. Regarding  my  elevation  to  the  chief  magistracy 
of  the  nation  as  a  reflection  of  public  sentiment  as  in- 
dicated more  than  as  a  personal  compliment  to  my- 
self, it  behooved  me  by  discreet  oflicial  conduct  and 
patriotic  action  to  show  that  the  general  appreciation 
and  esteem  for  that  noble  soldiery  was  not  misplaced 
nor  unworthily  bestowed. 

"  If  I  have  rendered  worthy  services  to  my  country, 
either  in  the  line  of  military  duty  or  in  the  perform- 
ance of  civil  trust,  or  both,  they  must  proclaim  my 
right  to  speak  from  my  higher  conscious  life  to  my 
countrymen  on  matters  pertaining  to  their  best  and 
dearest  interests.  If  the  gallant  army  that  fought  to 
a  successful  issue  the  battles  of  freedom  in  the  infancy 
of  its  struggles  here  have  claims  upon  the  attention 
and  consideration  of  the  present  generation,  and  those 
of  the  future,  they  heg  you  to  earnestly  consider  the 
words  that  may  fall  from  my  lips  and  pen.  I  have 
marshaled  those  mighty  hosts  of  noble  souls  in  spirit 
land,  and  with  them  have  recounted  our  struggles  and 
sacrifices  for  you  and  those  to  come  after  you,  and 
they  are  in  hearty  accord  with  what  I  shall  deem 
proper  to  say  to  the  nation  through  the  much  abused 
and  little  understood  channel  of  human  mediumship. 
You  will  hear  from  me  in  the  immediate  future  in 
obedience  to  the  purpose  indicated." 


I 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  143 

Juno  23,  1882 : 

"  Your  oomple^x  system  of  government  needs  and 
will  receive  reconstruction  or  remodeling.  When  we 
emerged  from  the  revolutionary  struggle,  and  came  to 
give  the  fruits  of  our  hard  earned  victory  some  defi- 
nite shape  in  the  formation  of  a  government  for  the 
new  nation,  we  adopted  the  articles  of  confederation 
as  the  best  we  could  then  devise.  It  required  but  a 
short  time  to  teach  us  that  they  were  defective,  and 
that  prudence  and  wisdom  dictated  something  differ- 
ent and  better.  The  constitution  was  consequently 
fashioned  and  superseded  the  confederation,  and  there 
has  never  been  any  disagreement  as  to  the  superior 
wisdom  of  the  constitutional  form  of  government,  at 
least,  as  an  improvement  on  the  original  confedera- 
tion form.  AVhen  this  had  been  acccmplished  we 
were  fully  persuaded  that  the  reorganization  of  the 
government  under  the  constitution  was  the  apex  of 
statesmanship  and  the  acme  of  the  science  of  govern- 
mental construction,  and  were  consequently  happy 
and  content.  But  alas,  for  poor  human  foresight.  It 
very  soon  became  evident  that  the  new  arrangement 
was  imperfect,  if  not  absolutely  defective,  ami  twelve 
amendments  to  the  new  constitution  were  proposed 
by  Congress  and  ratified  by  the  states.  After  and  as 
the  result  -of  the  late  unhappy  conflict  between  dis- 
cordant states,  or,  rather,  rebclliou  of  certain  states 
by  secession  against  the  rightful  authority  and  sover- 
eignty of  the  federal  government,  several  additional 
amendments  became  necessary  and  imperative,  and 
they  were  accordingly  incorporated  and  ingrafted 
upon  the  already  amended  constitution.  And  now 
others  are  earnestly  talked  of  and  advocated ;  and  does 


144  .  SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

this  not  teaoli  you  the  plain  lesson  that  your  system 
is  still  imperfect? 

"  The  trouble  is  found  to  be  that  statesmanship  is 
without  foreknowledge,  and  is  either  blind  to  or  ob- 
livious of  the  requirements  of  the  future.  In  other 
words,  that  the  ceaseless  mutations  of  human  affairs, 
the  ever  acting  and  onward  march  of  the  laAV  of 
change  and  progression,  fail  to  strike  the  consciousness 
of  statesmen  or  to  secure  their  recognition.  Of  one 
thing  you  may  be  assured,  your  plan  of  government 
will  be  revised  and  remodeled  to  its  vast  betterment. 
When  the  time  comes  this  will  be  most  vehemently 
resisted  by  those  who  on  all  questions  affecting  the 
interests  of  the  race  and  the  happiness  of  mankind 
persist  in  remaining  with  the  bats  and  owls  of  past 
ages  rather  than  to  be  baptized  in  the  light  of  the 
present  and  the  foregleams  of  the  future.  But  they 
must  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  car  of  progress  or  be 
crushed  beneath  its  merciless  and  continually  revolv- 
ing wheels." 
June  30,  1882 : 

"  In  the  formation  of  your  present  system  of  gov- 
ernment three  co-ordinate  branches  were  established 
— the  Executive,  Legislative,  and  Judicial — and  they 
were  designed  to  be  checks,  one  upon  the  other.  If 
in  the  zeal  and  frenzy  of  partisan  strife,  or  under  the 
baleful  influence  of  venality  and  corruption,  the  legis- 
lative department  should  exceed  its  constitutional  au- 
thority or  enact  legislation  inimical  to  tiie  public  in- 
terests, the  executive  was  invested  with  the  veto  priv- 
ilege whereby  the  evil  might  be  arrested.  If,  how- 
ever, the  President  should  be  found  to  be  in  accord 
and  sympathy  with  the  legislative  branch  in  its  hurt- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  ^  145 

fill  legislation,  and  gave  thereto  tlie  sanction  of  his 
approving  signature  ;  or,  in  case  the  President  exer- 
cised his  veto  power  in  the  particular  matter,  and 
Congress  should  pass  the  measure  over  his  objections 
by  the  requisite  two-thirds  of  each  branch,  then  and 
in  cither  of  these  events  there  still  remained  the  su- 
preme court  with  its  supervisory  power  or  power  of 
linal  determination. 

"  But  it  may  be  very  properly  asked,  what  if  the 
supreme  court  shoukl  be  influenced  by  the  same  or 
similar  considerations  as  the  other  co-ordinate 
branches,  what  help,  relief,  or  remedy,  is  left  to  the 
people  and  the  nation  ?  It  can  only  be  answered — 
force,  revolution,  rebellion.  Does  not  this  plain  state- 
ment present  a  dangerous  contingency  and  indicate  a 
palpable  wciikuess? 

"  It  should  be  remembered  that  in  our  form  of  re- 
publican government  all  powers  are  derived  from  the 
people,  and  it  should  be  furthermore  very  emphatic- 
ally understood  that  all  powers  belong  to  them.  If 
this  view  is  correct,  then  in  the  hypothetical  case  men- 
tioned for  the  purpose  of  illustration,  the  people  them- 
selves should  be  the  last  court  of  resort,  or  the  high 
court  of  appeals. 

"  It  was  thought  by  the  founders  of  your  govern- 
ment that  the  judiciary  would  always  be  pure  and 
safe,  but  unfortunately  experience  has  taught  us  quite 
differently.  It  is  humiliating  to  an  American  citizen, 
whether  he  be  in  or  out  of  the  body,  to  be  compelled 
to  make  this  confession.  But  truth  not  only  justifies 
but  demands  it,  and  it  is  best  that  it  be  frankly  made 
and  acknowledged." 


146  ,  SriUIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

August  14,  1882: 

"  Wo  are  not  permitted,  for  prudential  reasons,  to 
tell  you  how  the  new  system  is  to  be  fashioned.  To  do 
so  would  not  facilitate  its  accomplishment,  but  might 
possibly  operate  detrimentally  by  inducing  premature 
consideration  and  discussion.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
the  subject  has  been  deliberately  considered  and  the 
plan  carefully  matured  by  wise  statesmanship  in  the 
realm  of  causation,  and  will  be  given  to  your  world  at 
the  proper  time  and  in  the  proper  way. 

"  I  desire  to  briefly  discuss  two  propositions  : 

"1st.  What  are  the  duties  of  the  citizen  to  the  gov- 
ernment, or  what  the  government  has  the  right  to 
exact  of  and  from  the  citizen? 

"  2d.  What  are  the  duties  of  the  government  to  the 
people,  or  what  the  people  have  the  right  to  exact  of 
and  from  their  government? 

"  First.  The  citizen  owes  the  government  affection 
and  homage.  This  springs  from  patriotism  and  self- 
interest. 

''  Second.  To  render  a  cheerful  obedience  to  and 
acquiescence  in  all  lawfully  constituted  authority,  re- 
serving always  andof  primary  importance  the  natural 
and  inalienable  right  when  all  civil  remedies  prove 
unavailing,  of  revolution  against  and  resistance  to, 
tyranny,  usurpation,  and  oppression. 

"  Third.  Pi'ompt  compliance  with  all  the  lawful 
edicts  and  mandates  of  government.  If  they  are 
deemed  unlawful,  unjust,  and  oppressive,  first  appeal- 
ing to  judicial  supervision  and  all  lawful  means  for 
relief  and  protection — revolution  the  dernier  ressort. 

"  Fourth.  Loyally  protecting,  defending,  and  sus- 
taining the  government  when  assailed  from  withiu  or 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS,  147 

without,  and  when  waging  a  just  war  upon  a  foreign 
foe,  or  in  the  suppression  of  an  unjust  and  indefensi- 
ble internal  war,  insurrection,  or  rebellion. 

"  Fiftli.  Aiding  the  government  both  in  peace  and 
war  by  being  honest  to  and  with  it  in  official  station, 
and  by  helping  to  uphold  and  foster  its  credit  and 
honor. 

"  These  comprise  mainly  the  duties  of  the  citizen  to 
his  government.  He  owes  other  duties  to  society  and 
the  local  community  in  which  he  resides,  but  they  are 
not  considered  pertinent  or  germane  to  our  proposi- 
tion. 

"  I  speak  of  sustaining  the  government  in  war. 
TVar  is  a  terrible  thing  to  contemplate,  and  we  would 
gladly  crush  it  out  in  its  every  vestige,  but  you  seem 
as  yet  not  to  have  outgrown  and  developed  above  and 
beyond  it,  and  therefore  we  are  compelled  to  notice 
the  subject,  however  painful  and  sorrowful  it  may  be. 
The  time  is  not  so  very  far  distant  in  the  future  when 
nations  and  men  will  progress  beyond  this  horrible 
relic  of  barbarism,  when  the  fierce  god  of  war  will 
give  place  to  the  sweet  and  gentle  spirit  of  peace  and 
brotherly  love  ;  when  all  diiferences  will  be  amicably 
adjusted  without  a  resort  to  the  arbitrament  of  the 
sword  and  the  instruments  of  devastation,  bloodshed, 
and  death." 

August  17,  1882: 

"  In  a  certain  sense  he  people  are  the  children  of 
the  government,  and  in  a  still  more  important  sense 
the  government  is  the  offspring  of  the  people.  If  you 
ask  me  what,  under  the  law  of  your  present  state  of 
development,  are  the  duties  of  the  child  to  the  par- 
ent, I  answer    obedience,  maintenance,  and  protec- 


148  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

tion.  If  you  ask  me  the  duties  of  the  parent  to  the 
child,  I  answer  maintenance,  education,  and  protec- 
tion. The  family  government  was  the  first  govern- 
ment in  the  infancy  of  the  race  from  which  all  other 
governments  naturally  and  progressively  sprang,  and 
their  relations  and  reciprocating  duties  are  much  the 
same. 

"  I  now  reach  the  second  proposition  :  What  are 
the  duties  of  the  government  to  the  people,  or  what 
have  the  people  the  right  to  demand  of  their  govern- 
ment ?  It  is  the  hounden  duty  of  the  government, 
under  the  constitution,  to  afford  ample  and  plenary 
protection  to  the  citizen  in  the  exercise  and  enjoyment 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  This  protection  is  due 
to  the  humblest  as  well  as  the  most  exalted.  The 
powers  of  your  government  are  ade(|uato  to  this  end, 
if  properly  and  effectively  wielded,  and  if  exercised 
without  fear  or  favoritism. 

"  Again,  it  is  the  duty  of  government  to  see  that 
public  affairs  are  so  managed  that  its  burdens  may 
fall  lightly  upon  the  people  and  mostly  upon  those 
ablest  to  bear  them.  A  judicious  system  of  obtain- 
ing revenue  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  government 
and  the  liquidation  of  the  national  i^ublic  debt  by 
taxing  incomes  on  accumulated  wealth  and  its  in- 
vestment in  various  speculative  methods,  would  be 
most  salutary  to  the  attainment  of  the  object. 

"  In  order  that  the  wise  purposes  of  good  govern- 
ment be  carried  out,  and  that  honesty,  frugality,  and 
the  most  rigid  economy  should  characterize  every  de- 
partment of  the  public  service,  it  is  essentially  and  in- 
dispensably important  that  honesty  and  capacity  alone 
should  be  regarded  as  commanding  qualities  for  pub- 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  149 

lie  official  positions.  Dishonesty  and  corruption  and 
bribery  in  public  stations  ought  to  be  severely  pun- 
ished, else  there  remains  no  safety  and  security  to  con- 
fiding constituencies.  When  your  government  offices 
reek  with  corruption  and  no  alarm  is  manifested  and 
no  corrective  measures  adopted,  you  are  not  far  from 
the  yawning  brink  of  the  precipice  over  which  your 
liberties  and  free  institutions  are  sure  to  be  precipi- 
tated. It  is  the  duty  of  the  government,  in  the  in- 
terest of  a  confiding  trusting  people  to  hunt  down  the 
official  vampires  and  parasites  who  thus  insidiously 
prey  upon  the  vitals  of  government,  and  inflict  upon 
them  such  penalties  as  are  commensurate  with  their 
enormous  crimes.  To  allow  them  to  go  on  with  im- 
punity and  exempt  from  punishment  is  to  invite  and 
encourage  corruption,  and  to  suggest  the  safety  of  its 
increase." 

August  18,  1882 : 

"It  is  the  duty  of  government  to  foster,  uphold, 
and  defend  labor  in  its  unequal  struggle  against  the 
greed  of  capital  to  the  end  that  capital  may  not  ut- 
terly crush  it  beneath  its  scornful  and  merciless  heel. 
I  tell  you  in  all  seriousness  that  on  this  subject  you 
are  approaching  the  verge  of  a  volcano  whose  wrath- 
ful pent-up  fires  can  not  be  much  longer  controlled, 
nor  is  it  desirable  that  they  should  be  unless  a  speedy 
change  in  the  treatment  of  labor  by  capital,  involv- 
ing justice  and  right,  is  brought  about.  It  is  a  delu- 
sion and  in  opposition  to  all  human  experience  to  ex- 
pect capital,  uncompelled  by  law,  to  become  quick- 
ened in  conscience  and  pervaded  by  a  sense  of  equity 
and  right.  The  government  must  stretch  forth  its 
strong  arm  and  compel  the  exercise  by  authoritative 


150  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

and  coercive  power  of  a  spirit  of  justice  and  fair  deal- 
ing that  belongs  to  a  common  hunianity.  Kevivify 
and  re-adopt  that  virtuous  and  beneficent  doctrine  of 
the  earlier  patriotic  statesmanship  of  the  republic, 
namely :  '  The  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number.' 
The  men  and  women  who  toil  and  sweat  in  poverty 
constitute  the  greatest  number,  and  he  must  indeed  be 
blind  to  truth  and  deaf  to  justice  who  fails  to  discover 
or  concede  that  the  toiling  millions  have  wrongs  done 
them  by  the  greedy  rapacity  of  capital,  and  which 
appeal  with  vehement  persistency  for  redress — aye, 
we  fear  in  a  little  while,  for  retaliative  and  retributive 
vengeance.  They  have  the  right  to  claim  protection 
from  the  steady  and  stealthy  encroachments  of  capital 
whereby  the  rich  grow  richer  and  the  poor  jjoorer. 
Capital  and  labor  are  mutually  interested  in  each 
others'  welfare  and  prosperity,  and  are  alike  equally 
entitled  to  protection  when  dealing  justly  with  each 
other,  but  under  the  present  order  of  things  labor  is 
at  the  mercy  of  caj)ital,and  receives  not  justice  at  its 
hands.  And  this  great  government  fought  into  ex- 
istence by  the  common  people,  defended  in  every  suc- 
ceeding struggle  by  the  common  people,  and  which 
claims  to  be  a  government  of  the  people  and  by  the 
people  and  for  the  people,  stands  idly  by  with  folded 
arms  and  with  an  apparent  serene  complacency  per- 
mits the  great  masses  of  the  people  to  become  hope- 
lessly impoverished,  while  the  exclusive  and  favored 
few  become  enormously  enriched.  Verily  has  the 
government  by  its  inaction  and  failure  to  interpose, 
become  truly  and  in  the  sight  of  heaven  a  partieeps 
crindnis  in  producing  this  wretched  and  deplorable 
condition  of  affairs." 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  151 

August  21,  1882: 

"  You  liavo  a  tariff  S3'stem,  wliich  for  unrighteous- 
ness in  the  cruelty  of  its  exactions,  is  witliout  a  par- 
allel in  moclern  times.  It  is  unjust  and  oppressive; 
wholly  indefensible,  and  with  scarcely  a  palliating 
feature.  My  circumscribed  power  in  communicating 
will  not  allow  mo  to  argue  tlie  question  in  exfenso,  or 
as  I  would  like  to.  Your  tariff  is  not  only  unjustly 
discriminative,  but  painfully  oppressive  in  its  opera- 
tions, especially  so  far  as  the  interests  of  the  con- 
sumers arc  concerned.  Why  do  you  not  honestly  ex- 
amine the  subject  in  its  bearings  in  the  laudable  en- 
deavor to  ascertain  to  whose  beueiit  it  inures.  The 
government  to  some  extent  is  benefited  in  the  matter 
of  revenue,  but  the  capitalists  are  more  largely  the 
beneficiaries,  and  it  is  forthem  and  their  intercststhat 
you  legislate.  Have  you  not  yet  discovered,  if  not 
by  close  and  analytical  reasoning,  at  least  by  an  ob- 
servance of  its  practical  operations,  that  the  poor  arti- 
sans, skilled  mechanics,  and  other  labors  immediately 
connected  with  your  manufactures,  are  not  favored 
by  high  rates  of  tariff,  and  that  protection  to  home 
manufacturing  by  imposts  on  imported  commodities 
does  not  enhance  the  interests  or  confer  blessings  upon 
the  consumers  of  your  manufactured  articles.  Have 
3'ou  not  3'ct  realized  the  fact  that  exorbitant  and  re- 
strictive protection  fosters  only  the  interests  of  in- 
vested capital,  with  no  real  advantage  to  the  toiling 
operatives  and  to  the  oppressive  detriment  of  con- 
sumers? If  the  operatives  in  your  manufacturing 
establishments  were  benefited  by  high  tariffs  it  would 
be  manifested  and  plainly  discernible  in  prosperous 
accumulations  and  in  their  happy  contentment.     The 


152  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

opposite  of  all  this  is  true,  and  it  does  not  require  a 
philosopher  to  discover  it.  Why  trades  unions,  re- 
peated and  frequent  strikes,  and  an  unmistakably  un- 
happy condition  of  unrest,  if  the  benefits  accruing 
from  the  system  beneficially  inured  to  the  workmen  ? 
The  masses  of  your  toiling  people  are  inclined  to  suf- 
fer and  bear  injuries  and  injustice  with  a  patience  and 
forbearance  not  characteristic  of  any  other  people 
under  the  broad  canopy  of  heaven,  and  when  they 
protest  by  strike  or  otherwise  you  may  safely  assume 
that  they  are  in  the  right,  and  have  just  grievances. 
The  people  not  directly  connected  with  the  manufac- 
turing interest,  but  Who  arc  the  purchasers  of  its  prod- 
ucts, liave  exhibited  a  still  more  remarkable  degree  of 
patient  forbearance,  for  they  are  much  more  numer- 
ous and  less  directly  dependent.  The}''  have  been 
sorrowfully  blinded  to  their  true  interests  by  uncon- 
scionable politicians  and  political  tricksters,  and  most 
dearly  have  they  paid  for  their  confidence  and  ignor- 
ance. We  see  signs  of  the  awakening  of  the  hitherto 
slumbering  sensibilities  of  the  people,  and  feel  assured 
that  in  the  not  remote  future  will  bo  aroused  a  senti- 
ment among  the  masses  that  will  compel  a  change  of 
front  on  this  subject  in  the  meting  out  of  even-handed 
and  impartial  justice." 

August  24,  1882 : 

"  Another  subject  of  engrossing  importance  to  your 
weal  is  the  threatening  and  dangerous  attit'ule  of 
monopoly  and  corporate  power.  Your  railroad  cor- 
porations are  assuming  gigantic  proportions,  and 
bode  no  good  to  you  if  left  uncontrolled  and  unregu- 
lated by  law.  Your  liberties  are  not  only  menaced 
for  many  causes,  but  by  this  corporate  power  all  the 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  153 

avenncs  and  departments  of  your  government  are  be- 
ing influenced  detrimentally  to  the  general  public  in- 
terest, if  not  absolutely  sullied  by  the  corroding  ele- 
ments of  corruption.  These  corporations,  by  the 
many  influences  they  arc  enabled  to  exert,  if  left  un- 
restrained by  legislation,  will  control  your  govern- 
ment and  its  vast  machinery  as  effectually  and  com- 
pletely as  the  planets  perform  their  circuits  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  inflexible  and  unerring  laws  of  the  uni- 
verse. 

"  It  is  nonsense  to  talk  about  the  absence  of  con- 
stitutional j)ower  over  the  subject.  Your  national 
legislature  has  ample  warrant,  under  the  constitu- 
tional provision  conferring  authority  upon  Congress 
to  regulate  commerce  among  the  states,  and  Congress 
should  exercise  that  authority  promptly  and  fear- 
lessly. Railroads  are  common  carriers,  and  are,  when 
considered  in  connection  M'ith  this  power  conferred 
upon  Congress,  public,  and  not  private,  highways. 
The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  has  frequently 
affirmed  this  power  as  residing  in  the  legislative  de- 
partment of  the  government.  Unless  regulated  and 
restrained,  these  corporations  may  impose  such  ex- 
orbitant rates  of  transportation  as  to  destroy  ordinary 
profits  on  manufactured  and  other  commodities,  and 
necessitate  an  insuff'erable  and  unbearable  increase  to 
meet  the  exigency  of  increased  rates  of  transporta- 
tion, and,  of  course,  to  the  detriment  and  oppression 
of  consumers.  The  government  must  take  the  matter 
in  hand  for  the  protection  of  the  people.  Competi- 
tion will  prove  unavailing  without  restrictive  legisla- 
tion ;  for  the  railroads  would  engage  in  pooling,  and 
thereby  render  nugatory  the  natural  advantages  of 


154  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

competition.  This  monopoly  constitutes  the  most 
threatening  element  in  the  country,  and  will  be  felt 
too  soon,  if  not  prevented  by  judicious  exercise  of 
governmental  authority.  The  use  of  steam,  as  applied 
to  railroads,  steamboats,  and  steamships,  was  un- 
known to  the  founders  of  your  government  and  the 
framersof  your  constitution,  or  more  definite  provis- 
ions would  have  been  made  in  relation  to  the  subject 
of  regulating  commerce.  Why  can  not  your  states- 
men be  as  patriotic  and  as  true  to  the  public  ? 

"  Although  mainly  chartered  by  the  states,  tbey  are 
not  authorized  by  implication  or  otherwise  to  pursue 
the  selfish  course  of  only  subserving  the  interests  of 
capital,  but  for  the  convenience  and  benefit  of  the 
great  body  of  the  people  in  commerce  and  travel  as 
well.  They  have,  by  exercising  an  undue  influence, 
corrupted  courts  and  legislatures,  and  will,  ere  long, 
as  they  have  already  to  some  extent,  invade  the  sacred 
precincts  of  your  elections,  corrupting  the  sanctity  of 
the  ballot-box,  and  demoralizing  the  independence  of 
electors.  Then  your  government  will  become  a  farce, 
and  your  free  institutions  subject  to  the  whims  and 
caprices  of  unholy  and  unconscionable  monopoly 
power."' 

August  25,  1882 : 

"  The  great  agricultural  interests  upon  which  you 
mostly  depend  for  all  of  your  material  prosperity  re- 
ceive no  protection  from  3'our  tariff  legislation,  but 
are  compelled  to  pay  tribute  to  manufacturing  by 
paying  tarifl^s  on  manufactured  agricultural  imple- 
ments used  on  the  farm  by  the  increased  prices  on  the 
same.  Besides,  this  great  interest  (agricultural)  is 
{it  the  mercy  of  railroad  corporations  in  high  rates  of 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  165 

transporting  the  j)roducts  of  the  farm  to  market,  and 
in  the  end  the  burden  fulls  on  the  consumers  of  such 
products. 

"  The  recent  tariff  commission  created  by  Congress, 
and  its  members  appointed  by  the  President,  is  a  mis- 
erable subterfuge  and  sham,  as  you  wiH  ultimately 
ascertain.  The  dodging  of  the  responsibility  by  Con- 
gress, of  an  immediate  revision  of  the  tariff  and  the 
correction  of  its  abuses  and  vices,  ought  to  bo. vigor- 
ously condemned.  There  exists  no  valid  reason  why 
the  old  war  tariff  rates  should  be  continued  in  this 
era  of  profound  peace  and  general  prosperity  of  trade 
and  business.  Under  the  constitution,  tariff*  taxation 
can  only  be  imposed  on  imported  articles  for  the  pur- 
poses of  revenue  to  the  government,  and  this,  how- 
ever arranged,  is  amply  sufficient  to  afford  incidental 
protection  to  home  manufactories.  The  time  is  com- 
ing when  free  trade  and  open,  untrammelled  commerce 
with  all  nations  will  bo  tlie  policy  of  all  wise  govern- 
ments, and  the  sooner  it  is  brought  about  the  better. 

"  The  currency  policy  will  also  bo  changed,  and  a 
great  wrong  therein  righted.  The  national  banking 
system  projected  into  being  early  in  the  late  war,  and 
which  had  its  necessities  for  an  apology,  will  be  abro- 
gated and  done  away  with,  and  a  currency  furnished 
directly  by  the  government  to  the  people,  without  the 
intervention  and  agency  of  private  banking  corpora- 
tions. This  will  be  cheaper,  safer,  and  more  durable, 
predicated,  as  it  will  be,  upon  the  good  faith  of  the 
American  people  and  their  government,  and  secured 
by  their  prosperity. 

"  The  time  will  come  when  the  flag  of  the  Ameri- 
can republic  will  float  over  Canada,  all  the  British 


156  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

Possessions  on  this  continent,  the  island  of  Cuba,  the 
natural  key  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  as  well  as  over 
the  cultivated  valleys,  arid  plateaus,  and  towering 
mountains  of  the  land  of  the  Montezumas,  beyond 
the  Rio  Grande.  Then  will  your  system  of  govern- 
ment be  remodeled  and  reconstructed  upon  a  plan  in- 
finitely superior  to  your  present  one,  and  the  United 
States  will  not  only  become  the  greatest  nation  the 
earth  has  ever  known,  but  the  nucleus  around  which, 
in  time,  all  other  nations  will  cluster  and  revolve, 
shouting  the  anthem  of  human  equality  and  freedom 
and  universal  liberty.  G.  Washi^^gton." 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  157 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

COMMUNICATION  FROM  MY  SON  EMIL  ABOUT  EX- PRESIDENT 
GARFIELD— GREETINGS  FROM  MADAM  EHRENBORG — LET- 
TER   FROM    REV.    GODDARD,    AND    SWEDENBORG'S  ANSWER. 

Oil  the  26th  of  September,  1881,  at  the  hour  of  9 
o'clock,  forenoon,  it  being  the  same  memorable  day 
on  which  the  body  of  the  late  lamented  Garfield  was 
buried,  I  went  to  Mrs.  Green,  309  Longworth  street, 
for  an  independent  slate-writing  seance.  I  had  pre- 
viously prepared  the  following  paper,  which  I  laid  on 
the  table,  writing  downwards,  and  which  Mrs.  Green 
had  no  means  of  reading,  viz: 

"  Will  our  dear  exalted  spirit  friends  be  so  kind  as 
to  give  us  some  information  of  James  A.  Garfield,  our 
late  beloved  President." 

On  the  slate  soon  came  the  following,  signed  Emil, 
the  name  of  my  spirit  son. 

"  Good  morning,  dear  papa.  Many  spirits  are  here 
to  greet  you.  Our  beloved  and  martyr  President's 
work  has  just  begun.  He  awoke  immediately  to  con- 
sciousness and  to  the  reality  of  a  future  life,  of  which 
he  had  slight  knowledge.  He  was  met  with  Wash- 
ington, the  father  of  his  country,  and  the  martyr  Lin- 
coln, with  a  crown  prepared  for  him,  and  with  many 
other  loving  kindred  spirits,  who  had  gone  before  to 
prepare  for  his  reception,  and  it  was  the  grandest  one 
he  ever  had.  He  has  been  introduced  to  our  spiritual 
congress,  where  he  will  finish  his  work,  and  where  he 


158  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

will  be  more  useful  to  his  country.  You  will  soon  see 
a  communication  from  the  President  in  the  papers." 

Then  immediately  came  : 

"  Dear  papa,  weep  not  for  those  who  pass  from  this 
to  higher  spheres.  Think  of  them  free  from  sorrow 
and  pain,  and  wipe  away  your  tears.  Emil." 

Oct.  10.  Through  Mrs.  Green.  "  My  highly  es- 
teemed friend,  good  morning.  Baron  Swedenborg  is 
prevented  from  meeting  you  to-day  by  reason  of  a 
called  special  session  of  the  scientific  institute  or  har- 
monial  order  of  savants,  of  which  he  is  a  prominent 
member.  Matters  of  transcendent  import  and  press- 
ing moment  now  engross  the  attention  of  that  hon- 
orable body  of  advanced  spiritual  minds.  lie  re- 
quested me  to  thus  announce  his  enforced  absence 
to-day,  and  to  say  that  it  will  aflfbrd  him  pleasure  to 
be  with  you  at  your  next  sitting.  I  avail  myself  of 
this  opportunity,  by  the  kind  permission  of  the  me- 
diums' guides,  to  give  my  blessings,  and  to  again  urge 
you  to  go  on  with  your  investigations,  and  to  push 
forward  the  noble  work  set  before  you  by  the  spirit 
w^orld.  The  elements  for  your  spiritual  unfoldment 
are  constantly  at  work,  and  will  continue  to  work  out 
for  you  a  rich  reward  far  exceeding  your  most  confi- 
dent anticipations.  Only  fully  co-operate  with  these 
elements  and  continue  to  act  conjointly  with  your 
spirit  friends  and  all  will  be  well. 

"  Bright  spirits  of  light  around  you  stand, 
Whom  you  have  attracted  from  the  summerland; 
They  come  to  bless  you  with  their  spirit  light, 
And  make  your  life  all  beauteous  and  bright. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  159 

"  Press  forward,  then,  with  fearless  tread, 
And  learn  from  those  the  world  call  dead; 
The  veil  is  rent,  their  presence  ever  near, 
Your  soul  to  bless  and  heart  to  cheer. 

"  Fredrika  Ehrenborg." 

The  communications  from  Sweden"borg  of  the  8th 
of  September,  1881,  through  Mrs.  Jennie  McKee  (the 
first  one  from  him),  and  those  th rough ^Irs.  Green  of 
the  2Gth  of  September  and  3d  of  October,  1881,  I  had 
printed  in  a  small  pamphlet,  and  sent  them  to  divers 
parties,  and  one  to  the  Rev.  John  Goddard,  a  minis- 
ter of  the  New  Church  in  Cincinnati,  with  the  hope 
that  he  would  aiFord  the  members  of  his  congregation 
the  opportunity  to  read  them.  In  answer,  I  received 
the  following  reply  from  Mr.  Goddard,  viz : 

"  Trice's  Hill,  August  19,  1881. 
'■'■  Dear  Mr.  Helleberrj  :  Your  communication  with 
your  pamphlet  came  to  me  to-day.  I  hardly  know 
what  to  say  in  reply,  for  I  fear  that  nothing  I  can 
say  will  be  of  any  use.  I  have  no  doubt  in  the  world 
that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  communication  with 
spirits,  nor  has  any  intelligent  and  well  informed  N"ew 
Churchman.  Nor  have  I  any  doubt  whatever  that 
they  are  a  very  low  order  of  spirits,  and  scarcely  ever 
those  whom  they  personate.  It  is  clear  that  Sweden- 
borg  never  sent  any  such  communications  as  these. 
To  believe  otherwise  would  be  to  believe  that  intelli- 
gent men  in  the  other  world  lose  their  wits  instead 
of  increasing  in  wisdom.  Doubtless  this  is  permitted 
as  a  forcible  and  compelling  offset  to  the  tremendous 
and  increasing  materialism  of  the  day.  lean  not  con- 
ceive of  any  use  in  it  to  those  who  desire  to  be  led  by 


160  SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

the  Lord  in  freedom  and  reason.  Not  only  Svveden- 
horg  declares  the  thing  disorderly,  but  all  experience 
coincides  with  his  repeated  warnings  and  emphasises 
the  need  of  onr  keeping  close  to  the  Lord  in  his 
divine  word.  I  say  to  yon  frankly  that  I  do  not  feel 
warranted  in  putting  this  pamphlet  before  the  society, 
for  knowing  as  I  do  the  seductive  and  tremendously 
persuasive  pmver  of  this  influence  and  realizing  the 
evil  in  it,  I  should  be  doing  violence  to  my  sense  of 
duty  in  bringing  the  matter  to  their  notice.  To  those 
capable  of  better  things  it  is  a  delusion  and  a  snare. 
"With  kind  personal  feelings  to  yau  and  all  your  fam- 
ily, and  deploring  your  connection  with  this  dreadful 
sphere,  I  remain  sincerely  yours  in  truth, 

"  John  Goddard." 

On  ^JsTovember  the  7th  I  repaired-  to  Mrs.  Green's, 
taking  with  me  Mr.  Goddard's  letter,  which  I  did  not 
allow  Mrs.  Green  to  see,  nor  did  I  speak  to  her  any 
.thing  in  regard  to  its  contents.  I  had  also  prepared 
a  communication  to  Mr.  Swedenborg,  which  I  took 
along  wdth  me,  in  words  as  follows: 

"  To  my  exalted  spirit  friend,  Emanuel  Sweden- 
borg :  For  conferring  on  me  the  honor  of  receiving 
your  communications  for  the  people  who  you  seek  to 
bless  with  the  truth,  I  appreciate  in  the  highest  de- 
gree, and  my  only  hope  and  wish  is  that  I  may  be 
able  to  do  this  work  in  a  proper  and  efficient  way. 
The  letter  before  you  from  the  Rev.  John  Goddard, 
minister  of  the  Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem  here, 
in  answer  to  my  pamphlet  containing  your  three  first 
letters  to  me,  is  a  sample  of  what  may  be  expected 
from  that  class.     I  have  had  the  opinion  that  the 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  161 

preachers  of  every  denomination  will  be  the  very  last 
to  accept  this  most  beautiful  truth,  and,  therefore,  I 
have  concluded  to  send  the  pamphlet  only  to  free,  ad- 
vanced minds,  and  to  the  individual  members  of  the 
diiferent  churches  of  the  Xew  Jerusalem,  if  it  re- 
ceives your  approval.  With  love  and  sincere  affec- 
tion, I  am  your  willing  and  obedient  servant, 

"C.  G.  Helleberg." 

Placing  Goddard's  letter  with  mine  on  the  stand, 
the  following  communication  came  on  the  slate  : 

"  In  the  adorable  name  of  the  Lord  I  salute  you 
good  morning.  The  course  you  have  pursued  in  re- 
gard to  my  communications  to  you  meets  my  hearty 
approval.  In  the  future  be  governed  by  the  direc- 
tions of  your  immediate  guides,  in  whom  I  have  the 
utmost  confidence,  for  the}'  are  constantly  with  you, 
and  are  more  intimately  related  to  your  sphere,  and 
know  best  how  and  what  to  direct.  I  am  advised  of 
the  purport  of  the  letter  to  you  from  our  good  brother, 
Mr.  Goddard,  and  have  lately  visited  him  for  the 
purpose  of  observing  his  surroundings  and  perceiving 
his  mental  operations.  As  the  result,  I  believe  him 
honest  and  nearer  your  platform  than  he  is  willing  to 
make  known.  He  certainly  concedes  enough  in  his 
letter  to  fortify  your  faith,  and  to  satisfy  those  under 
his  influence  that  modern  spiritualism,  so  called, 
sprang  from  the  great  store  house  of  the  father's  love, 
and  is  in  his  keeping.  May  the  good  brother  become 
so  illuminated  as  to  reach  the  grander  conclusion  fully 
in  consonance  with  the  truth,  that  his  religion  ema- 
nated not  from  the  Lord  direct,  but  from  the  writer 
hereof  under  the  spiriritual  instruction  suited  to  that 


162  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

age,  and  that  in  lifting  the  veil  between  the  two 
worlds  of  embodied  and  disembodied  man,  and  per- 
mitting, jea  compelling,  the  intercommnnion  be- 
tween their  denizens,  the  heavenly  father  has  not 
made  an  assortment  of  evil  only  for  you,  for  this 
would  be  malevolence  under  whatever  pretext,  but 
that  all  may,  if  they  desire,  hold  intercourse  with  the 
terrestrial  sphere.  1  have  neither  lost  my  wits  nor 
retrograded  in  wisdom,  but  since  I  left  the  body  I  have 
lost  much  of  my  arrogance  and  pride,  and  am  now 
more  interested  in  imparting  plain,  simple  truth,  than 
in  the  construction  of  embellished  sentences  and  high 
sounding  and  beautifully  rounded  periods.  The  hu- 
mility taught  by  Jesus  and  others  anterior  to  his  day 
and  since  embodies  a  sublime  law  of  the  spiritual 
spheres,  underlying  all  true  progression,  to  which  I 
cheerfully  bow  in  reverential  adoration.  If  my  dear 
brother  will  only  humble  himself  as  a  little  child,  for- 
getting for  awhile  his  books,  and  casting  aside  the 
imperious  demands  of  his  system  of  belle-lettres,  he 
will  then  from  that  truly  spiritually  elevated  altitude 
begin  to  perceive  and  to  drink  in  the  beauties  of 
spiritual  truth  and  the  glories  of  the  Lord. 

"Emanuel  Swedenborg." 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  163 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

COMMUNICATIONS  FROM  PRESIDENT  GARFIELD,  MADAM 
EHREXBORO,  GOVERNOR  J.  D.  WILLIAMS,  PRESIDENT 
ABRAHAM    LINCOLN,   JUDGE    EDMONDS. 

Nov.  21.  Among  other  things  during  this  sitting 
with  Mrs.  Green  I  received  the  following: 

"Good  morning  friends  of  truth.  On  passing  out 
of  the  physical  form  and  awakening  to  the  conscious- 
ness of  the  perpetuity  of  my  being,  and  a  realization 
of  my  continued  individuality,  I  was  overwhelmed 
with  the  triumph  of  the  spirit  over  the  empire  of 
crude  matter,  and  as  I  gazed  upon  the  worn,  shat- 
tered and  emaciated  body,  and  in  the  presence  of 
many  kinrlred  and  other  loving  spirit  friends,  the  first 
thought  that  occupied  my  mind  was,  is  it  possible 
that  I  have  lived  so  long  in  the  presence  of  this  great 
truth  and  have  known  so  little  about  it  ?  Then  fol- 
lowed a  feeling  of  self-chiding,  yea  remorse,  that  I 
had  neglected  so  many  opportunities  to  learn  that 
wisdom  so  much  needed  by  the  newly  arisen  spirit, 
and  how  much  I  had  really  nnssed  by  not  acquiring 
knowledge  of  the  spirit  world,  the  future  of  the  spirit, 
and  the  laws  of  spiritual  government.  Resulting 
from  reflections  like  these  came  the  impelling  desire 
to  return  through  whatever  avenue  I  might  find  to 
speak  to  a  fond  mother,  devoted  wife,  loving  chil- 
dren, and  sympathizing  friends,  to  announce,  if  no 
more,  that  I  not  only  silll  lived,  but  was  fully  con- 
scious of  and  keenly  alive  to  their  grief  and  sorrow. 
But  I  would  do  more.     Having   passed  safely  and 


164  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

gloriously  the  ordeal  of  so-called  death,  and  crossed 
the  dreaded  rubicon,  I  am  now  employing  my  best 
energies  in  learning  the  initial  and  rudimentary  laws 
appertaining  to  spirit  life  and  spirit  growth,  which  I 
ought  to  have  learned  on  earth,  in  the  fervent  hope 
and  desire  that  I  may  be  of  service  to  my  country 
and  countrymen.  If  I  have  a  friend  who  would  hear 
and  heed  me,  I  would  say  to  him  as  my  best  counsel, 
see  to  it  that  you  learn  more  of  the  spiritual  side  of 
life  while  here  in  the  body,  that  when  you  pass  to  the 
higher  life  your  spirit  may  be  accelerated  in  its  on- 
ward march  along  the  highways  of  progress  in  the 
heavenly  spheres.  J.  A.  Garfield." 

At  the  seance  the  7th  of  November,  1881,  I 
placed  a  sealed  letter,  with  no  address  on  the  en- 
velope, on  the  stand,  and  no  one  in  the  body  except 
myself  knew  the  contents,  as  I  had  written  it  early  in 
the  morning  at  my  home,  on  Mt.  Auburn.  I  deem  it 
best  to  give  my  letter  and  the  answer  to  it  in  full,  as 
it  demonstrates  beyond  all  possible  controversy  the 
ability  of  spirits  to  read  and  understand  written  mat- 
ter eft'ectually  concealed  from  mortal  view  by  being 
securely  sealed  up. 

"  To  my  dear  exalted  spirit  friend.  Madam  Fred- 
rika  Ehrenborg :  You  always  was  on  earth  a  highly 
valued  friend  of  mine.  Since  your  entrance  into 
the  spirit  world  I  have  been  lead  to  appreciate 
more  fully  your  good  qualities  of  head  and  heart; 
and  your  kind  spiritual  ministrations  to  me  I 
fear  I  can  never  repay.  They  have  made  me 
very  happy  indeed.  You  brought  the  highly 
exalted    Swedenborg,  and    your   angel    husband   to 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  1G5 

make  God's  truths  clearer  to  us,  and  we  know  we 
can  not  return  this  loving  kindness  in  any  other  way 
than  in  hy  trying  to  live  up  to  thoniin  our  daily  lives, 
and  in  making  them  known  to  others.  During  my 
whole  life  I  have  had  so  very  few  real  friends  outside 
of  my  family,  but  I  now  know  that  my  good  spirit 
friends  have  more  than  restored  the  loss  of  earthly 
friends,  who  I  may  liave  lamented.  For  a  long  time 
I  have  been  thinking  to  send  you  a  special  offering 
of  my  sincere,  heartfelt  thanks,  which  I  now  do. 
Your  sincere  and  humble  earth  friend, 

"C.  J.  IIelleberg." 

The  answer  soon  came  in  the  following  words  on 
the  insides  of  the  double  slate  : 

"To  my  highly  respected  earth  friend,  C.  J.  Helle- 
berg:  I  know  since  my  entrance  upon  a  higher  life 
more  than  before  that  you  value  my  friendship  to  a 
very  high  degree,  which  I  have  tried  with  my  spirit 
'to  reciprocate.  You  need  not  feel  yourself  under 
obligations  to  me  or  mine,  for  I  take  great  pleasure  in 
administering  to  your  wants,  and  I  am  exceedingly 
happy  to  be  able  to  do  so,  and  that  you  appreciate 
we  know.  We  are  aware  that  our  communications 
to  you  have  made  you  and  yours  happy,  and  it  re- 
joices us  to  know  that  we  have  been  the  instruments 
in  doing  good,  and  as  you  say,  '  You  can  not  return 
our  loving  kindness  in  any  other  way  than  by  trying 
with  all  your  might  to  live  up  to  them  in  your  daily 
lives,  and  in  making  them  known  to  others.'  That 
is  just  what  your  spirit  friends  wish  you  to  do.  You 
need  not  grieve  for  earthly  friendship  ;  those  ties 
have  soon  to  be  broken,  but  have   you  thought  on 


166  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

spirit  life  and  friends?  My  noble  husband  and  Mr. 
Swedenborg  are  here  with  us.  Accept  my  heartfelt 
thanks  for  your  good  -wishes  toward  me,  and  for  your 
kind  allusion  to  my  noble  companion.  Love  to  your 
dear  companion,  and  believe  me  ever  your  friend  and 
guide.     This  is  in  answer  to  your  sealed  letters. 

"  Fredrika  Ehrenborg." 

The  23d  of  January,  1882,  came  the  following  from 
the  former  Governor  of  Indiana:  "Good  morning 
my  dear  friend  in  the  cause  of  truth.  I  have  been 
present  at  many  of  your  sittings,  and  this  morning  I 
feel  the  power  strong  enough  to  write  and  give  ex- 
pressions to  a  few  humble  thoughts  in  regard  to  what 
I  have  done  since  my  entrance  to  the  spirit  world. 
My  battles  here  were  to  put  down  aristocracy  and  the 
expenses  of  our  government.  I  fought  hard  for  that. 
I  did  not  believe  in  drinking  ice  tea  atthe  expense  of 
the  government.  I  was  satisfied  with  a  good  old 
fashion  tea  like  my  mother  made,  and  a  suit  of  blue 
jeans.  I  am  still  at  work  in  our  spiritual  congress  to 
that  end.  If  there  is  not  something  done  speedily 
our  government  of  our  forefathers  is  gone,  and  in- 
stead a  stronger  one,  or  monarchy.  Capitalists  gnaw- 
ing at  its  vitals,  and  it  must  inevitably  succumb. 
Spirit  Avorld  is  constantly  at  work  to  change  the  in- 
fluence. AVe  are  coming  to  every  channel  we  can  to 
speak,  and  our  prayers  are  that  we  may  be  heard  and 
heeded.  With  my  blessing  on  you  both,  I  bid  you 
good  day.  J.  D.  Williams.*' 

"A.Lincoln,  J.  A.  Garfield,  0.  P.  Morton,  A.  P. 
Willard,  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  Fredrika  Ehrenborg, 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  167 

Madam  Amalia  de  Frese,  Polheim,  Wilberforce  and 
Otto  Jacob  l!^att-och-Dag  arc  present.  ExMIL." 

December  12th  came  tlie  following: 

"Kind  friends  :  I  am  with  you  this  morning  to  en- 
courage you  by  the  utterance  of  a  few  thoughts.  The 
authority  of  the  priesthood  over  the  consciences  and 
judgments  of  men  is  fast  losing  its  hold,  and  creeds 
are  in  the  course  of  ultimate  extinction.  The  over- 
throw of  the  institution  of  slavery  in  the  United  States 
was  precipitated  by  war,  and  I  shudder  to  contem- 
plate even  the  possibility  that  the  final  conflict  be- 
tween the  prevalent  creeds  predicated  on  false  theol- 
ogy, and  succored  by  superstition  on  the  one  hand, 
and  an  enlightened  nationalism  on  the  other,  may 
unhappily  eventuate  in  bloody  issues.  Creeds  are 
doomed  to  perish.  God  grant  they  may  pass  away 
without  the  costly  sacrifice  of  blood.  The  pages  of 
both  sacred  and  profane  history  record  crimes  of  the 
darkest  and  deepest  magnitude  enacted  in  the  holy 
name  of  religion.  In  her  fair  name  the  soil  of  the 
earth  has  been  crimsoned  with  the  precious  blood  of 
martyrs,  and  the  ghastly  horrors  of  the  inquisition 
have  been  feebly  and  imperfectly  told.  The  real 
truth  of  those  horrid  deeds  has  been  faithfully  chron- 
icled in  the  archives  of  the  spirit  world.  "Without 
malice,  and  in  all  charity,  I  speak  of  them  to-day, 
but  the  truth  must  be  boldly  stated.  The  history  of 
the  Christian  system  of  religion  is,  in  part,  a  history 
of  foul  assassination,  bloodshed  and  rapine,  and  all 
under  the  impious  pretext  of  advancing  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  and  magnifying  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  ISTot 
only  have  the  brave  souls  who  dared  to  lift  voice  or 


168  SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

hand  against  the  hideous  monster  of  religious  fanati- 
cism and  tyranny  been  sacrificed  as  heretics,  but  noble 
and  queenly  women — yea,  innocent  and  unoffending 
children — have  fallen  victims  to  its  merciless  cruelty 
and  gluttonous  rapacity  for  greed  and  power.  Re- 
ligion and  tyranny  have  marched  hand  in  hand  to- 
gether along  the  highways  of  the  past,  and  with  the 
stake,  the  javelin,  the  executioner's  ax,  and  every  con- 
ceivable instrument  of  torture,  have  left  behind  them 
ruin,  desolation  and  death  as  fitting  and  enduring 
monuments  of  their  utter  unrigliteousness.  Does 
this  terrible  history,  so  replete  witli  evil,  offer  us  evi- 
dences of  Godlike  excellence?  Can  such  a  religious 
system,  founded  in  falsehood,  fostered  by  superstition, 
nourished  by  the  blood  of  innocence,  and  pre-emi- 
nently distinguished  by  so  frightful  a  history,  much 
longer  command  the  tolerant  and  kindly  considera- 
tion of  the  advanced  intelligence  of  the  world,  or  con- 
tinue to  inspire  the  conviction  that  it  emanated  from 
God,  and  has  been  sustained  all  these  centuries  by  the 
fostering  care  of  his  goodness  and  love  ?  In  view  of 
all  this,  is  it  surprising  to  any  one  that  He  who 
taketh  cognizance  of  the  minutest  details  of  human 
conduct  has  commissioned  his  angels  and  the  spirits 
who  have  escaped  the  environments  and  passed  be- 
yond the  limitations  of  the  flesh  to  return  to  those  in 
mortal  on  the  redemptive  mission  of  demonstrating 
a  continued  life  beyond  the  grave,  and  revolution- 
izing the  religious  thought,  moral  tendencies  and 
spiritual  conceptions  of  mankind.  I  repeat,  creeds  are 
doomed  to  perish,  and  this  angel  ministry,  fraught 
with  freedom,  truth  and  righteouness,  will  erect  her 
gorgeous  temples  over  their  buried  ruins.     Thanks 


•  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  169 

be  to  God  that  I  obeYed  the  majestic  voices  wafted 
from  the  spirit  world,  inducing,  as  they  did,  the  lib- 
eration in  our  land  of  four  millions  of  the  enslaved 
cliildren  of  chattel  bondage.  Enjoying  the  com- 
munion with  spirits,  and  learning  of  them  and  their 
bright  homes,  the  heritage  of  the  father's  love,  I  was, 
while  yet  inhabiting  the  tabernacle  of  clay,  made  glad 
ajid  filled  with  superhuman  joy,  and  in  consequence 
was  the  recipient  of  strength  and  happiness  in  this 
glorious  land  of  the  spirit.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and 
do  likewise.     Good  day.  A.  Lincoln." 


170  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  Xy. 

NEW   years'    GREETINGS   FROM   MANY   OF    MY    DEAR    SPIRIT 
FRIENDS    AND   NEAR   RELATIVES. 

The  29th  of  December,  1881,  I  received  with  man^ 
others  the  following  communication  : 

"  Good  morning,  my  dear  friends,  for  such  I  will 
call  you,  although  I  have  never  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  you  in  the  body,  but  as  magnetic  attraction 
seems  to  be  the  topic,  I  will  write  a  few  lines  to  you. 
Some  years  ago  I  corresponded  with  this  medium's 
husband,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  calling  her  my 
pupil,  because  her  mediumship  was  so  much  like  that 
of  mine  and  my  daughter  Laura.  I  took  so  much  in- 
terest in  her  and  her  future  success,  and  predicted 
that  she  would  be  a  wonderful  medium  in  time,  and 
now  I  come  as  her  teacher  to  congratulate  her  on  her 
success  and  to  give  her  words  of  cheer,  and  to  tell 
her  that  she  has  only  ascended  half  way  up  the  lad- 
der of  fame  as  a  spirit  medium  ;  and,  also,  that  I  have 
come  to-day  by  magnetic  attraction,  and  will  be  here 
often  to  aid  her  in  her  development.  "With  my  pray- 
ers for  you  both  and  for  your  success,  I  bid  you  good 
morning.  Judge  Edmonds." 

The  .2d  of  January,  1882,  in  the  forenoon,  came  on 
the  slate  the  following  : 

"  Good  morning,  dear  papa.  "We  are  all  here  with 
our  happy  !N'ew  Year's  greetings — Emil,  Charles,  Gus- 
taf,  Mary,  Julia,  Grandpa  and  Grandma  Helleberg, 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  171 

,GrantlpaNatt-och-Dag,  Swedenborg,  Madam  Ehreii- 
borg,  Madam  de  Frese,  and  a  host  of  others.  Dear 
Emil  forgot  me  ;  I  am  hist,  but  I  hope  not  the  least, 
in  sending  you  a  happy  New  Year's  greeting.  He 
says  I  am  able  to  do  that  myself,  and  so  I  am,  and 
happy  to  do  so.  Nothing  aifords  me  more  real  pleas- 
ure than  to  communicate  to  you.  "Wishing  you  many 
beautiful  spirit  communications  this  coming  year,  I 
bid  you  good  day.  Jennie." 

After  this  came  the  following 'from  a  highly  es- 
teemed noble  lady,  who  recently  passed  to  the  higher 
life,  leaving  an  only  daughter  remaining  in  the  form. 
Madam  de  Frese  was  distinguished  in  her  native  land 
— Sweden — for  her  literary  tastes  and  labors  and  the 
purity  of  her  character.  It  was  a  great  surprise  by 
reason  of  her  having  passed  on  so  recently  : 

"  Good  morning,  my  dear  firiend.  With  the  assist- 
ance of  Mr.  Swedenborg  and  our  kind  friend  Madam 
Ehrenborg,  and  with  the  aid  of  this  medium's  very 
highly  gifted  and  intelligent  band,  I  am  able  to  write 
a  few  more  lines  to  those  I  love  who  are  yet  in  the 
body."  (At  this  moment  I  said  to  the  medium,  "  It 
is  my  impression  that  this  communication  is  from  my 
friend,  Amelia  de  Frese,  and  it  may  be  a  help  to  con- 
vince the  New  Church  people  in  Sweden,  and  her 
daughter,  of  the  spiritual  truth  and  power.") 

And  then  came  :  ' 

"  Yes,  that  is  my  object,  to  send  them  a  New  Year's 
greeting  from  my  beautiful  spirit  home,  and  to  tell 
my  dear  daughter  that  I  am  not  far  from  her,  but  able 
to  advise  her  and  control  affairs  mundane,  and  that 
by  impression.     She  will  be  directed  in  the  right  way, 


172  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

and  although  she  does  not  imagine  that  I  am  with  her, , 
still  it  is  a  reality.  Tell  her  to  have  no  fear,  she  will 
he  directed  to  do  my  will,  and  now  that  the  dark  pall 
is  hefore  her,  and  that  to  penetrate  through  it  seems 
an  impossibility,  but  'ere  long  she  will  get  glimpses  of 
the  summer  land  and  of  the  loved  ones  gone  before. 
Though  the  clouds  may  lower  and  thicken  fast  and 
the  mutterings  of  the  storm  king  is  heard,  fear  not, 
mother  is  near  to  ward  off  danger.  She  will  know 
my  meaning.  She  is  in  mental  trouble,  the  weight  is 
almost  overpowering.  This  will  help  to  remove  it 
somewhat,  and  what  she  longs  for.  She  thinks,  '  Oh, 
if  mother  could  tell  me  Avhat  to  do.'  As  a  parting 
word,  tell  her  that  the  sunshine  of  Spiritualism  will 
scatter  the  clouds  and  mists  that  now  surround  her, 
and  that  she  will  be  made  doubly  happy  by  its  intro- 
duction into  her  troubled  heart,  and  every  pulsation 
of  that  member  of  the  body  will  beat  with  joy.  With 
the  blessings  of  Swedenborg  and  Madam  Ehrenborg, 
and  with  my  heart  full  of  love  for  her  and  highest  re- 
gards for  yourself  and  companion,  and  thanks  for  this 
privilege  of  communicating,  I  bid  you  adieu. 
"  Madam  Amalia  de  Frese, 

of  Stockholm,  Sweden." 

January  9th  I  received  the  following  from  the  same 
spirit : 

"  Thanks,  my  dear  old  friend,  Mr.  Ilelleberg,  for 
sending  the  communication  to  my  daughter.  I  will 
be  there  when  she  reads  it,  and  make  her  feel  my 
presence.     I  am  your  friend,      Amalia  de  Frese." 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  173 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

A   PRAYER   FROM    MADAM    EHRENBORQ. 

Jan.  26,  1882.  And  the  following  came  on  the  slate, 
which  I  then  copied  word  for  word,  and  herewith  re- 
produce verbatim  et  llteratum : 

"  My  dear  old  friend.  According  to  promise  I  am 
here,  and  I  will  endeavor  to  write  you  a  prayer  : 

"  Oh,  thou  Infinite  Spirit  of  Truth,  soul  of  all  things, 
we  humbjy  approach  Thee  at  this  hour.  We  know 
our  praises  can  not  exalt  Thee  for  Thou  art  already 
infinitely  exalted.  We  know  how  vain  are  our  adula- 
tions of  Thee,  and  that  we  can  not  change  or  make  Thee 
other  than  what  Thou  art,  a  being  permeating  all 
things,  ever  pure  and  changeless.  We  know  Thou  hast 
existed  in  all  the  past,  and  for  Thee  and  Thine  there  is 
no  ending  in  all  the  measureless  immensity  of  future 
time.  Thou  art  infinite  and  perfect  in  all  Thy  great 
attributes  of  love,  wisdom,  and  power,  the  true  and 
everlasting  trinity.  We  know  we  serve  Thee  best 
when  we  seek  and  labor  for  the  good  of  Thy  chil- 
dren, whether  they  be  in  realms  of  spirit  being  or  in 
mortal  life.  We  feel  the  inspiration  of  Thy  words — 
'  Do  good  to  all ' — wafted  to  our  anxious  ears  on  every 
breeze,  and  we  bow  in  reverence  before  the  eternal 
words  written  on  all  the  works  of  Thy  mighty  crea- 
tion, '  Love  one  another  even  as  I  love  all.'  We  look 
not  for  Thee  in  temples  of  human  construction,  or  in 


174  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

buildings  vainly  dedicated  to  Thy  worship,  but  we 
discover  Thee  in  all  that  Thou  liast  brought  into  be- 
ing by  the  creative  energies  of  Thy  almighty  power. 
We  hear  Thy  majestic  voice  in  the  almighty  roar  of 
old  ocean  and  in  the  gentle  murmurings  of  the  brook- 
let. We  hear  Thy  voice  in  the  thunderings  of  the 
storm  king  and  in  the  soft  whisperings  of  the  zephyrs. 
We  behold  Thee  in  the  stately  form  of  the  oak  and 
in  the  sweet  blossoming  and  blooming  flowers.  Where- 
ever  we  go,  wherever  we  look,  and  in  whatever  we 
behold  there  Thou  art  ever  present.  Oh,  Thou  mighty 
masterspiritof  the  universe,  bless  Thy  children  every- 
where. Strengthen  Thy  messengers,  ministering 
spirits  from  the  land  immortal,  to  teach  those  still  in 
the  bonds  of  the  flesh  the  sublime  and  eternal  truths 
of  immortality.  May  Thy  children  in  mortal  learn 
that  wisdom  which  teaches  righteous  living,  heroic 
dying,  life-unending  and  eternal  progression.  Shower 
divine  blessings  on  this  aged  brother  who  is  seeking 
to  know  of  Thee  through  Thy  ministering  angels. 
Strengthen  his  faith,  increase  his  knowledge,  cheer  his 
heart,  and  as  he  nears  the  end  of  the  journey  of  mor- 
tal life  fill  his  soul  with  that  joy  that  can  only  be  be- 
stowed by  the  spirits  of  dear  ones  who  have  passed 
to  the  better  land.  Bless,  oh  Father,  this  noble  me- 
dium, a  chosen  instrument  of  the  spirit  world,  through 
whom  to  transmit  messages  of  love.  Bless  all  such 
instruments.  Encourage  and  invest  with  continually 
increasing  powers  this  noble  band  of^  spirits,  and  en- 
able them  through  their  chosen  and  beloved  medium 
to  bless  and  cheer  the  hearts  of  many  by  the  imparta- 
tion  of  light  divine,  and  may  that  light  radiate  to 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


175 


their  souls  as  the  sunheams  descend hig from  the  golden 
orb  of  day  illuminates  the  physical  world.  Accept, 
oh  Lord,  from  the  fulness  of  our  souls  this  our  earn- 
est prayer.     Amen. 


176  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

GREETINGS  FROM  HORACE  GREELEY,  J.  G.  BENNETT,  AND 
HENRY  J,  RAYMOND,  TO  F.  B.  PLIMPTON,  ASSOCIATE 
EDITOR  OF    THE    CINCINNATI   "  DAILY    COMMERCIAL." 

During  the  visit  of  the  celebrated  medium,  Henry 
Slade,  to  Cincinnati,  recently,  a  reporter  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati "  Daily  Enquirer  "  visited  him  and  secured  a 
sitting,  during  which  Mr.  F.  B.  Plimpton,  associate 
editor  of  the  Cincinnati  "Daily  Commercial,"  by  in- 
vitation was  present.  The  day  following,  the  "  En- 
quirer "  reporter,  in  speaking  of  the  seance  in  the 
columns  of  his  paper,  referred  to  Mr.  Plimpton  in 
disparaging  terms  as  being  a  believer  in  Spiritualism, 
etc.  In  the  succeeding  issue  of  the  "  Enquirer  "  Mr. 
Plimpton  had  published  over  his  proper  signature  the 
following  rejoinder : 

DR.    SLADE    AND    HIS    "  CONFEDERATE." 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Enquirer. 

Your  reporter  makes  much  of  my  accidental  meet- 
ing with  him  at  the  rooms  of  Dr.  Slade.  I  had  called 
on  the  doctor's  general  invitation  (he  being  an  entire 
stranger  to  me,  not  with  the  thought  of  witnessing 
any  of  the  so  called  manifestations,  but  to  have  a 
chat  with  him  touching  some  points  of  his  European 
experience. 

In  the  course  of  our  conversation  he  incidentally 
mentioned  that  he  had  an  appointment  with  a  press 


SPIBIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  177 

representative,  and  shortly  afteward  your  reporter 
came  in,  and  was  introduced  to  me  as  "  Mr.  Culbert- 
son."  Having  met  the  young  gentleman  on  a  recent 
social  occasion,  when  he  was  introduced  to  me  under 
his  right  name,  his  identity  was  not  obscure  to  me, 
but  it  would  have  been  the  height  of  impoliteness  on 
my  part,  an  invited  guest,  to  have  interfered  with  any 
little  plan  he  may  have  formed  to  entrap  the  magi- 
cian. It  is  a  trivial  and  common  form  of  deception, 
and  as  Dr.  Slade  does  not  profess  to  be  a  mind-reader, 
it  is  as  easy  for  a  stranger  to  impose  on  him  in  that 
way  as  upon  an  ordinary  person.  So,  as  "  Mr.  Cul- 
bertson  "  your  reporter  remained  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  the  sitting. 

"Why  Dr.  Slade  changed  his  mind  and  allowed  me 
to  remain  during  the  seance  I  do  not  know,  and  do 
not  care  to  know.  It  seems, .however,  to  have  ex- 
cited the  suspicions  of  your  acute  reporter,  who 
amusingly  presents  me  to  your  readers  in  the  light  of 
a  confidante  of  the  doctor.  This  is  too  ridiculous  to 
receive  serious  refutation.  It  was  the  sheerest  acci- 
dent that  I  was  present  at  all. 

Your  reporter  very  fairly  states  the  phenomena  wit- 
nessed, except  where  his  lively  imagination  charm- 
ingly interferes  with  strict  accuracy,  and  tempts  him 
to  adorn  his  narrative  with  divers  brass  ornaments  of 
his  own  invention.  But  he  must  pardon  me  if  I  de- 
cline to  accept  him  as  an  expert  at  his  own  valuation, 
since  by  his  own  statement  he  stands  condemned  of 
practicing  the  only  deception  at  all  explicable,  and 
then  not  telling  the  truth  about  it. 


178  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

He  is,  however,  entitled  to  his  own  conchisions, 
which  must  be  very  valuable,  considering  the  time  he 
has  devoted  to  investigation.  There  is  no  accounting 
for  the  superior  insight  which  a  young  man  has  into 
phenomena,  that  have  baffled  old  heads  after  years  of 
patient  study.  It  may  be  remarked,  however,  that 
to  denounce  as  trickery  and  fraud  phenomena  other- 
wise not  easily  explained  is  a  ready  way  of  ridding 
one's  self  of  the  whole  business. 

Though  not  giving  much  attention  of  late  years  to 
the  subject,  I  am  a  Spiritualist,  and  not  ashamed  to 
own  it.  The  time  has  passed  when  it  is  necessary  to 
doff  one's  hat  and  apologize  in  this  or  any  other  intelli- 
gent community  for  being  a  Spiritualist.  It  is,  at 
least,  as  creditable  as  to  discourse  without  knowledge 
and  condemn  without  investigation. 

F.  B.  Plimpton. 

On  Thursday,  February  2d,  at  Mrs.  Green's,  among 
other  matter  received  came  the  following : 

"  Respected  Sir  :  We  are  here  this  mornin'g  to  ask 
you  to  go  and  see  Mr.  Plimpton,  of  the  "  Commer- 
cial," and  say  to  him  for  us,  that  we  not  only  thank 
but  congratulate  him  for  his  recent  bold  and  manly 
utterances  in  favor  of  truth.  The  time  has  arrived 
for  those  blessed  with  the  knowledge  presented  by 
Spiritualism  to  bravely  avow  it,  and  we  are  glad  that 
he  has  taken  the  initiative  in  the  Queen  City  of  the 
West.  The  time  has  truly  passed  when  such  avowal 
entails  social  ostracism  or  any  kind  of  persecution. 
The  banner  of  truth  has  been  unfurled,  and  ye  brave 
souls  marshal  the  veteran  hosts  under  it  and  onward 
to  victory.     You  will  find  less  obstruction  than  you 


SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS. 


179 


think,  for  believers  in  this  much-abused  gospel  of 
light  are  more  numerous  than  you  conceive.  Besides 
you  have  myriad  hosts  of  heaven  at  your  backs. 
Falter  not.  move  onward  with  firm  and  confident 
step.  Be  steadfast  and  true  and  bright  laurels  await 
you.  The  victory  is  not  always  to  the  strong,  but  to 
the  active,  the  vigilant,  and  the  brave.  The  army  of 
Spiritualism  has  already  swollen  into  huge  propor- 
tions, and  its  ranks  are  being  daily  augmented.  The 
decree  has  gone  forth  and  the  triumph  will  come. 
Truth  shall  arise  for  the  eternal  years  of  God  areher's, 
and  nothing  can  stay  or  retard  the  onward  march  to 
victory  of  the  grand  army  of  invisible  hosts. 

"  Horace  Greeley. 

"  J.  G.  Bennett,  Sr. 

"  Henry  J.  Raymond. 


180  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

COMMUNICATIONS  FROM  HORACE  GREELEY,  GOVERNOR  0.  P. 
MORTON,  AND  A.  P.  WILLARD. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  among  other  things,  I  received 
the  following: 

"  Unless  eomo  changes  are  made  in  the  conduct  of 
your  government  direful  consequences  are  to  be  ap- 
prehended. Under  the  present  mode  of  administra- 
tion it  is  continually  subjected  to  very  heavy  strain- 
ing, and  it  can  not  much  longer  stand  it.  Many  re- 
forms are  needed,  and  the  requirements  of  patriotism 
depaand  that  they  be  seriously  considered  and  acted 
upon.  Your  civil  service  is  entirely  wrong,  and  can 
not  be  continued  much  longer  without  serious  detri- 
ment to  your  form  of  government.  The  integrity 
and  stability  of  your  institutions  are  constantly  men- 
aced by  it.  You  claim  that  you  have  an  elective  gov- 
ernment. Is  the  claim  true  ?  Thousands  of  impor- 
tant public  offices  are  not  filled  by  the  elective  voice 
of  the  people.  They  are  filled  by  appointment  from 
purely  partisan  considerations — for  partisan  purposes 
and  as  a  reward  for  party  services  and  party  zeal. 
Fitness  and  worthiness  are  secondary  and  minor  con- 
siderations. Hence  arises  clamorings  of  party  strife, 
and  the  engendering  of  the  festering  sore  curses  of 
corruption.  The  Presidential  office  had  better  be 
abolished  than  to  continue  it  invested  with  such  vast 
patronage  in  dispensing  official  appointments.  There 
exists  no  valid   reason    why  the  people   themselves 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  181 

should  not  select  from  their  neighhors  postmasters, 
revenue  officers,  etc.,  as  well  as  state,  county,  and 
township  officers.  The  Presidential  office  should  either 
be  dispensed  with  or  its  incumbent  elected  by  a  direct 
vote  of  the  people  without  the  intervention  of  the 
cumbersome  and  corrupting  electoral  machinery.  The 
electing  of  men  to  elect  other  men  to  office  is  the  dodg- 
iifg  of  a  responsibility  and  the  surrendering  of  aright 
of  the  people  that  can  not  be  defended  upon  sound 
principles. 

"  Another  danger  confronts  you  menacingly  and 
demands  watchful  attention.  It  is  the  startling  ag- 
gregations of  wealth  among  the  few,  and  wrung  from 
the  sweat  of  labor.  These  immense  accumulations 
find  utilization  in  the  creation  of  merciless  monopo- 
lies which  have  already  assumed  gigantic  and  threat- 
ening proportions  in  the  United  States. 

"  Stock  gambling  is  not  a  whit  better  in  moralsthan 
any  of  the  games  of  cards  by  which  the  unwary  are 
fleeced  out  of  their  hard  earnings.  The  participants 
and  operators  in  the  one  are  no  better  than  in  the 
other,  and  yet  the  one,  under  your  Christian  civiliza- 
tion is  applauded  while  the  other  is  denounced.  How 
long  yet  will  the  people  continue  to  be  hoodwinked 
and  handicapped  by  designing  political  tricksters. 
We  have  seen  the  star  of  hope,  but  now  behold  the 
star  of  promise  rising  in  its  refulgent  splendor,  and 
therefore  we  take  heart.  H.  Greeley." 


HON.    0.    p.    MORTON. 

On  the  13th  of  April  the  following  communication 


182  SPIRIT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

was  received,  purporting  to  come  from  the  late  United 
States  Senator  from  Indiana,  Oliver  P.  Morton,  viz.: 
"Amid  the  rancor  and  jealousies  of  party  strife 
I  came  in  for  a  full  share  of  abuse  and  vituperation. 
I  was  denounced  most  bitterly  as  an  ambitious  man," 
wholly  unconscionable  and  indifferent  as  to  the  means 
employed  in  the  accomplishment  of  party  ends.  Now, 
I  frankly  confess  that  I  was  not  a  saint  in  politic!, 
nor  always,  politically  speaking,  perfectly  orthodox. 
I  am  free  to  admit  that  I  was  so  constituted  that 
when  I  once  believed  a  certain  view  to  be  sound  and 
right  I  never  hesitated  to  use  ail  the  appliances  and 
machinery  of  party  to  secure  its  triumph.  I  was 
called  a  bold  man  in  politics.  I  am  proud  of  this,  for 
it  is  in  contradistinction  to  all  that  is  sneaking.  I 
aimed  to  always  be  right,  and  believed,  in  a  certain 
qualified  and  honorable  sense,  that  the  ends  justified 
the  means.  Those  who  are  vociferating  so  loudly  and 
screaming  so  painfully  about  bad  and  corrupt  men, 
are  generally  traveling  in  the  same  boat,  with  the 
same  sails  spread  to  the  breeze.  In  my  mind  and 
heart  the  country's  good  was  always  a  paramount  con- 
sideration, and  I  have  as  few  regrets  as  most  men  who 
have  devoted  as  long  a  period  to  public  life.  The 
m^an  out  of  office  feels  himself  called  upon  to  denounce 
the  man  who  is  in,  and  affects  to  believe  himself  es- 
pecially endowed  with  the  requisite  qualities  to 
purify  the  public  service,  but  when  safely  ensconced 
in  the  incumbency  he  too  soon  finds  himself  a  Barkis, 
who  "is  willing."  There  are  many  good  and  true 
men  engaged  in  public  political  life,  but  none  perfect, 
and  you  would  be  as  successful  in  ransacking  hades 
for  an  angel  of  light  as  in  your  efforts  to  find  a  per- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  183 

feet  politician.  Whatever  is  wrong  and  corrupt  in 
your  public  service  and  political  life  will  never  be  cor- 
rected and  pacified  by  the  politicians  alone.  As  well 
might  you  hope  for  a  deadly  eating  cancer  to  eradi- 
cate itself,  or  the  upas  tree,  with  its  deadly  ema- 
nations, to  give  forth  health-breeding  and  life-sus- 
tainins:  exhalations.  The  remedv  rests  alone  and 
wholly  with  the  great  masses  of  the  people.  The  pros- 
titution of  office  to  the  debasing  influences  of  bribery 
and  corruption  must  be  made  odious  by  fixing  austere 
penalties  against  the  off*ender,  and  the  prompt  and 
indiscriminate  enforcement  of  them.  Misfeasance 
and  malfeasance  in  public  office  ought  to  be  consid- 
ered an  unpardonable  crime,  and  the  guilty  dealt 
with  accordingly.  Let  the  people  teach  their  officials 
the  doctrine  that  a  continuation  of  political  existence 
depends  wholly  on  fidelity  to  the  public  interests, 
and  the  honest,  faithful  and  efficient  administration 
of  their  official  trusts.  When  there  is  willful  derelic- 
tion of  duty,  or  a  failure  by  grossly  reprehensible  con- 
duct to  meet  the  just  public  expectations,  not  only 
relegate  the  offender  to  the  walks  of  private  life,  but 
impose  such  punishment  as  shall  be  deemed  adequate 
to  the  enormity  of  the  crime,  and  will  deter  others 
from  the  commission  of  like  offenses. 

"  O.  P.  Morton." 

GOV.    A.    P.    WILLARD. 

May  19,  1882,  I  received  the  following  from  Ash- 
bel  P.  Willard,  who  I  learn  was  at  one  time  Governor 
of  the  State  of  Indiana,  viz.: 

"Good  morning,  sir.  I  was,  during  my  earth  life, 
a  politician,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  a  successful  one, 


184  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

if  success  may  be  measured  and  determined  by  capti- 
vating the  masses,  and  thereby  securing  elevation  to 
office.  I  was  in  early  life  surrounded  by  poverty,  and 
arose  from  humble  conditions  to  the  chief  magistracy 
of  the  great  commonwealth  of  Indiana.  I  was  of  the 
common  people,  always  kept  myself  closely  allied  to 
them  and  their  interests,  and  if  you  will  excuse  the 
egotism,  always  felt  that  I  was  near  their  hearts.  I 
was  called  an  orator,  and  probably  to  some  extent 
this  was  true,  for  nature  had  favored  me  highly  in 
that  direction  by  organization,  and  I  have  occasion  to 
be  thankful  that  whatever  gifts  I  may  have  possessed, 
they  w^ere  aimed  to  be  exercised  for  the  promotion  of 
the  public  good  and  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of 
the  people.  In  youth  I  obtained  a  common  educa- 
tion and  taught  school,  and  by  teaching  the  young  the 
rudiments  of  education  I  was  enabled  to  study  and 
observe  the  different  tendencies  and  characteristics  of 
mind.  While  engaged  in  this  pursuit  I  discovered  some 
properties  of  my  own  mind  and  some  gifts  of  speech, 
which,  in  public  utterance,  subsequently  distinguished 
me— not  so  much  in  the  forum  as  on  the  "  hustings" 
during  periodical  political  excitements.  I  soon  dis- 
covered that  the  power  I  was  enabled  to  wield  in  po- 
litical disputations  was  attracting  the  people  to  me, 
and  their  voices  at  the  ballot-box  soon  called  me  into 
official  position  and  subsequent  prominence. 

"  Whatever  faults  I  may  have  had,  it  is  a  proud  sat- 
isfaction for  me  to  know  that  it  was  never  charged 
that  I  ever  betrayed  either  a  private  or  public  trust. 
But  in  my  day  things  were  quite  different  from  what 
they  are  now.  The  politicians  in  my  day  were  im- 
bued with  a  different  and  a  higher  patriotic  sense  of 


SPIl^IT   COMMUNICATIONS.  185 

obligation  to  the  public  interests  and  the  general  pub- 
lic weal.  The  great  v/ar  of  the  rebellion  seems  to 
have  poisoned  the  divine  streams  of  patriotism,  and 
the  politicians  of  to-day  seem  to  have  drank  too  freely 
therefrom.  You  have  passed  through  evil  times,  and 
they  are  still  upon  you. 

"The  best  minds  of  the  spirit  world  are  hard  at 
work  seeking  to  purify  the  waters  of  political  life.  It 
must  begin  at  the  fountain  head.  The  people,  the 
great  masses  who  constitute  the  fountain  of  all  political 
power,  must  be  awakened  to  a  realization  of  the 
wretched  condition  into  which  they  liave  permitted 
public  affairs  to  drift.  There  must  be  a  quickening 
of  the  public  conscience  and  a  revivifying  of  the  pa- 
triotism of  the  early  fathers  of  the  republic.  The 
sanctifying  influences  of  the  patriotism  of  the  revo- 
lution must  again  permeate  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
The  politicians,  always  cunning  and  Avatchful  of  the 
tendencies  and  driftings  of  the  public  mind,  will  either 
fall  in  with  the  new  order  of  things,  or  be  forced  to 
retire  and  subside  from  public  notice.  The  great 
minds  and  patriotic  hearts  of  Washington,  Lafayette, 
Adams,  Jefferson,  Franklin,  Hancock,  Paine,  Web- 
ster, Clay,  Douglas,  Lincoln,  Garfield,  and  hosts  of 
others,  arc  coming  from  the  skies,  leaving  for  awhile 
the  glorious  pursuits  and  joys  of  spirit  unfoldments  to 
speak  to  the  people,  and  to  lead  them  away  from  the 
demoralizing  and  corrupting  influences  of  the  parti- 
sanship of  the  day  into  better  channels  and  loftier 
patriotism. 

"How  shall  the  work  of  purifying  tlie  public  ser- 
vice, restimulation  of  patriotism,  and  the  placing  of 
the  waning  fortunes  of  the  country  upon  the  high 


186  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

road  of  prosperity  be  done  ?  First.  What  is  needed  to 
be  done?  Second.  How  shall  it  be  done?  These 
questions,  so  pregnant  with  mio^hty  results,  should 
engage  your  earnest  and  prayerful  consideration. 
These  matters  may  be  discussed  and  presented  to  you, 
and  I  am  glad  that  the  means  will  be  furnished  to  lay 
them  before  the  people. 

"  If  what  I  have  said  will  be  the  means  of  arousing 
one  patriotic  citizen  to  the  necessity  of  the  govern- 
mental reformation  now  in  contemplation  by  our 
spiritual  congress,  I  shall  feel  then  supremely  happy 
that  the  little  effort  in  writing  these  feeble  lines  was 
not  in  vain. 

"I  was  known  when  in  the  form,  and  am   still, 

as  ASHBEL   P.    WiLLARD." 


I 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  187 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

COMMUNICATIONS  FROM  THE  DRUNKARD,  A  MISER,  WILLIAM 
GAILARD,  WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON,  WILBERFORCE, 
TECUMSEH,    A    SUICIDE. 

On  May  25,  1882,  came  the  following  communica- 
tion from  a  spirit,  who  declined  to  give  his  name,  for 
reasons  which  he  claimed  to  he  prudential  and  per- 
sonal to  himself.     It  is  here  given  in  his  own  -words : 

"  The  hand  of  spirits  who  have  this  medium  in 
charge,  together  with  other  exalted  ones  and  one 
who  is  co-operating  with  them  temporarily,  have  not 
only  allowed,  but  invited  me,  unworthy  as  I  am,  to 
come  and  tell  my  story.  It  is  a  short  and  terrible  one, 
and  in  deep  sorrow  and  humiliation  I  proceed  to  tell 
it. 

"I  was  called,  and  justly  so,  a  drunkard.  By 
nature  I  was  blessed  with  a  strong  and  robust  consti- 
tution, and  I  was,  what  is  too  often  a  curse,  the  child 
of  wealthy  parents.  My  father  was  rich,  and  this 
circumstance  proved  my  ruin.  I  was  nursed  in  the 
lap  of  luxury,  never  knew  what  it  was  to  want,  and 
consequently  had  no  sympathy  for  those  that  suffered, 
or  those  immersed  in  the  fierce  struggles  of  poverty. 
I  disdained  to  work  wath  my  hands  for  bread,  and 
knew  not  the  hardships  and  sorrows  of  the  trifling 
millions.  My  brow  was  never  moistened  by  the 
sweat  of  labor,  and  I  grew  up  in  the  belief  that  the 
poor  were  intended  and  purposely  created  to  serve  the 
rich,  and  were  deserving  of  naught  but  a  bare  scanty 


188  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

subsistence.  My  life  of  indolence  and  ease,  my  tinin- 
teiTupted  liours  of  leisure,  produced  their  inevitable 
fruit  in  their  accompaniments  of  vice  and  immorality. 
Idleness,  as  I  now  know,  is  the  parent  of  vice,  and 
riches  too  frequently  constitute  the  propagating  life 
germs  of  wickedness.  It  was  sadly  true  in  my  un- 
happy case.  Oh,  fathers,  mothers,  heed  my  warning 
counsel:  Train  your  children  to  labor- — to  work, 
work,  work.  Allow  but  few  idle  hours  for  dissipa- 
tion and  vice.  Keep  them  away,  if  possible,  from  the 
club  room,  where  intoxicating  beverages  are  indulged 
in  and  made  inviting  by  temptation,  and  where  las- 
civious conversations  only  tend  to  stimulate  and  de- 
velop the  lower  passions  and  propensities  of  their 
natures.  Wine,  fair  to  look  upon  and  with  frequent 
imbibations  exhilarating,  contains  within  its  alluring 
embrace  a  terrible  lurking  serpent  whose  venomous 
sting  is  fatal  to  all  that  is  noble,  grand,  and  holy. 
It  strikes,  figuratively  speaking,  its  poisoned  teeth 
into  the  very  vitals  of  our  being,  and  the  effect  fol- 
lows us  to  the  other  life  with  its  terrible  retributive 
vengeance.  Oh,  pity  the  poor  inebriate,  and  erect  all 
possible  barriers  against  the  terrible  ravages  of  the 
fell  destroyer.  The  Drunkard." 

A   MISER. 

April  24,  1882,  came  the  following : 

"  I  am  permitted  to  come  to  you  to-day  to  relate 
something  of  my  history.  There  is  a  twofold  purpose 
in  my  visit.  I  am  told  that  this  will  greatly  benefit 
me  as  a  spiHt  still  bound  to  my  idol — gold — and  that 
I  may  be  instrumental  in  warning  others  to  avoid  my 
condition. 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  189 

"  I  lived  in  the  flesh  more  than  three  score  years 
and  ten,  and  when  I  laid  down  to  die  the  only  thing 
I  regretted  leaving  was  my  gold  and  hoarded  wealth. 
Oh,  I  thought,  if  I  could  only  take  it  all  with  me 
how  happy  I  would  be.  The  world  said  I  was  a  noble 
man,  because  being  avaricious  and  greedy,  I  was  suc- 
cessful in  acquiring  riches.  My  nobility  of  character 
was  measured  entirely  by  my  ability  to  accumulate 
money  and  property.  I  want  to  publish  it  to  the 
world  that  money,  stocks,  and  landed  estates,  are  poor 
capital  to  bank  on  in  the  spirit  world.  They  will  do 
here,  and  as  the  world  goes,  will  make  you  respect- 
able, your  society  and  influence  coveted  and  all  that, 
but  you  need  a  different  kind  of  capital  on  this  side 
of  life.  Gold  here  has  great  purchasing  power.  It 
buys  the  luxuries  of  life,  it  even  buys  honor,  virtue, 
and  innocence,  at  a  fearful  sacrifice  and  cost  to  others, 
but  its  power,  except  its  terrible  evil  following,  ends 
with  your  life  in  the  body.  Nothing  but  good  deeds, 
noble  charities,  and  upright  living  pass  current  in  the 
land  of  souls.  I  was  a  miserable,  soulless  miser,  and 
my  occupation  and  delight  consisted  in  adding  to  my 
coffers,  and  in  this  endeavor  I  forgot  and  ignored  con- 
science and  everything  in  the  pathway  of  the  pursuit 
of  my  idol. 

"  I  belonged  to  a  fashionable  church,  owned  a  pew, 
attended  the  services,  and  flattered  myself  that  this 
was  all  that  was  needful  to  prepare  my  soul  for  hap- 
piness in  the  other  world.  !N^o  appeals  of  charity  were 
ever  strong  enough  to  touch  my  sympathies  or  open 
my  purse  strings.  The  tears  of  the  widow,  the  wails 
of  the  orphan,  or  the  cries  of  the  suffering,  however 
piteous,  never  touched  my  heart  or  obtained  from  me 


190  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

a  single  penny.  I  stinted  myself  and  family  and  con- 
tributed nothing  towards  the  relief  of  want  and  suf- 
fering, for  I  was  so  completely  enslaved  by  the  ac- 
T  cursed  love  of  and  pjission  for  money.  This  is  a  hu- 
miliating confession  to  make,  but  it  is,  alas,  for  my 
happiness,  too  true.  I  tell  you  money  has  been  my 
curse,  and  oh,  how  terribly  have  I  suffered.  Years 
upon  3'ear3  have  rolled  by,  and  I  have  only  partially 
paid  the  penalty  of  my  folly.  No  wonder  the  rich 
man  wanted  some  one  to  go  back  and  tell  his  brethren 
of  his  fate.  I  hope  I  may  hereby  be  the  humble  in- 
strument in  warning  others  against  the  pitfall  into 
which  I  have  fallen.  My  gold  came  up  before  me 
here  to  greet  my  fond  gaze,  and  when  I  would  joy- 
ously reach  out  forit,  bcliold  it  would  elude  my  grasp, 
thus  teaching  me  that  it  had  no  real  existence  except 
as  the  haunting  specter  of  my  unholy  life  struggle  for 
its  possession.  The  light  of  redemption  now  begins 
to  beam  upon  me,  flooding  my  soul  with  its  bright 
rays  of  hope.  I  feel  this  will  do  mo  good,  and  I  am 
very  thankful  for  the  opportunity.  Let  me  be  simply 
known  as  The  Miser." 

WILLIAM    GAILARD. 

William  Gailard  was  an  old  personal  friend,  and 
the  first  one  who  called  my  attention  to  the  subject 
of  Spiritualism.  He  had  been  a  Swedenborgian,  and 
at  times  had  officiated  as  a  preacher  in  England  be- 
fore he  came  to  the  States.  At  a  sitting  with  Mrs. 
Green,  June  2,  1882,  I  was  pleased  to  receive  the  fol- 
lowing communication  from  him  : 

"  My  old  friend,  Air.  Ilelleberg.  I  know  you  have 
been  waiting  and  wanting  to  hear  from  me,  and  I  have 
been  just  as  anxious  to  respond.     Here  in  the  spirit 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  191 

world  wo  have  order  and  system,  and  each  one  must 
bide  liis  time.  My  time  has  come  to  speak  a  few  words 
to  you,  and  I  assure  you,  my  dear  old  friend,  I  seize 
the  opportunity  with  pleasure  I  can  not  fully  express. 

"  I  remember  that  tlie  new  light  of  spiritual  truth 
came  to  mc  first,  and  I  was  the  humble  instrument  in 
the  hands  of  higher  intelligences  to  assist  you  in  ob- 
taining it.  I  was  a  medium  for  exalted  spirits  to  lead 
you  and  others  into  the  light,  and  that  for  a  great  and 
noble  purpose,  for  way  back  to  that  time  the  plans 
were  laid  for  the  work  in  which  you  are  now  engaged 
so  nobly  and  fearlessly.  You  are  also,  my  dear  friend, 
a  medium,  for  it  is  true  that  all  persons  whom  spirits 
can  influence,  however  unconscious  it  may  be  to  them- 
selves, are  mediums  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word. 

"T^ou  are  helping  others  to  grow  and  expand  in 
spiritual  knowledge,  and  you  will  be  astonished  when 
you  come  over  to  look  back  and  see  the  work  you 
have  done,  and  to  receive  the  plaudit,  '  Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant.'  I  have  been  blessed  be- 
yond measure  for  the  little  I  was  enabled  to  do,  but 
your  reward  will  be  greater  than  mine.  Your  oppor- 
tunities were  greater  and  you  cheerfully  yielded  your 
energies,  time,  and  means,  to  the  work. 

"  If  Spiritualists  could  only  realize  the  treasures 
they  are  laying  up  for  themselves  by  advancing  the 
banner  of  truth,  and  the  joys  in  consequence  that 
await  them  on  the  golden  shore,  they  would  spare  no 
pains  or  means  and  omit  no  effort  in  spreading  the 
gospel  of  glad  tidings.  Oh,  how  I  would  exult  with 
joy  if  the  New  Church  people  would  see  and  preach 
this  beautiful  and  blessed  truth.  They  will  yet  get 
their  eyes  open,  and  step  out  of  their  little  creed-bound 


192  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

narrowness,  and  stand  upon  the  broad  and  heavenly 
platform  of  the  Lord  and  this  spiritual  truth,  for  they 
are  one  and  the  same.  Swedenborg  will  speak  to 
them  from  the  higher  life,  and  I  pray  they  may  heed 
him.     Your  old  friend,  William  Gailard." 

WM.    LLOYD    GARRISON. 

At  the  sitting  June  9,  1882,  came  the  following: 
"  For  long  years  before  the  emancipation  of  the 
slaves  I  waged  a  fierce  and  bitter  warfare  against  tbo 
institution  of  African  slavery  in  the  United  States. 
The  overthrow  of  that  accursed  institution  became  the 
absorbing  and  central  idea  of  my  soul  from  my  early 
manhood.  All  other  themes,  questions,  and  subjects, 
I  subordinated  to  that  one  dominant  purpose  of  my 
life.  "When  I  had  lived  to  see  that  institution  swept 
out  of  existence,  equal  civil  rights  secured,  and  man- 
hood suffrage  conferred,  irrespective  of  race,  color,  or 
previous  condition  of  servitude,  I  felt  a  sweet  heavenly 
calm  rest  upon  my  soul,  accompanied  by  the  conscious- 
ness that  I  had  not  lived  in  vain.  I  felt  that  my 
efforts,  however  feeble,  had  helped  to  forward  to  a 
glorious  consummation  that  long  eventful  struggle, 
and  that  by  aiding  in  pushing  along  the  car  of  prog- 
ress and  freedom,  the  world  had  not  suffered  by  my 
having  lived  in  it.  When  the  victory  had  been 
achieved  I  had  advanced  far  '  into  the  vale  of  years,' 
and  realized  that  my  life  forces  were  well  nigh  ex- 
hausted. They  had  been  mainly  expended  in  my  life 
work  as  editor,  lecturer,  etc.,  in  a  warfare  upon  an 
unholy  condition  in  which  upward  of  four  millions  of 
human  beings,  with  God-given  souls,  had  been  placed 
by  sheer  force  and  without  their  own  consent.     I  saw 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  193 

and  still  sec  needed  reforms  that  call  aloud  for  help, 
willing  souls,  and  readj'  hands.  Reform  in  the  cur- 
rency, reform  in  the  tariff,  reform  in  the  civil  service, 
a  complete  overhauling  and  reconstruction  of  gov- 
ernment, the  overthrow  of  rum,  and  the  enfranchise- 
ment of  women.  God  will  and  is  raising  up  noble 
souls  for  this  noble  work,  and  you  may  be  assured 
that  the  spirit  world  is  neither  indifferent  nor  inact- 
ive. Spirit  bands  are  forming  every-where,  instru- 
mentalities are  being  chosen,  and  agencies  are  being 
arranged  for  the  work.  The  millions  of  high  and 
exalted  souls  of  the  higher  life  will,  ere  long,  descend 
upon  the  children  of  earth  with  their  inspiring  and 
propelling  influence,  and  a  revolution  in  the  realm  of 
mind  will  be  inaugurated  that  shall  eventuate  in  the 
accomplishment  of  needed  reforms.  I  shall  be  among 
the  number  with  all  my  strength  and  soul. 

"  Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison." 

wilberforce. 

July  7,  1882,  at  a  sitting  this  day  the  following 
came : 

"  The  main  struggle  of  my  life  was  to  secure  the 
liberation  of  the  enslaved  in  the  dominions  under  the 
authority  and  jurisdiction  of  the  Bricish  government. 
I  lived  to  w^itness  the  glorious  success  of  my  labors 
and  to  rejoice  thereat  and  therein.  I  fought  human 
slavery  ;  I  mean  that  slavery  which  is  recognized  by 
law — the  right  of  one  man  to  own  another  as  a  chat- 
tel, and  to  either  transfer  that  ownership  to  another 
for  a  pecuniary  or  other  consideration,  or  to  transmit 
it  as  an  inheritance.     In  doina;  so  I  had  to  combat 


194  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

wealth,  prejudice,  and  biblical  religion,  for  the  bible 
recognizes  this  right.  The  struggle  was  long,  event- 
ful, and  bitter,  but  victory  finally  crowned  the  effort. 
The  civilized  world  concedes  now  the  justness  of  my 
cause  and  the  value  to  mankind  of  its  success.  And' 
yet  you  are  now  fastening  upon  yourselves  a  slavery 
more  appalling  and  degrading  than  African  slavery 
ever  was,  or  the  slavery  of  the  heathen  and  strangers 
of  the  olden  time.  (See  Leviticus,  25th  chapter,  44, 
45   and  4Gth  verses.) 

"  The  slavery  to  which  I  refer  now  is  the  slavery  of 
labor  to  capital.  If  I  were  back  again  in  the  body, 
with  my  present  light  on  the  subject,  I  would  fight 
this  accursed  slavery  more  bitterly  than  I  did  that 
other  species  of  slavery,  Avhieh  was  bad  enough,  but 
infinitely  less  reprehensible  than  that  which  I  am  now 
discussing. 

"Xo  oppression  is  so  utterly  merciless  and  uncon- 
scionable as  that  of  capital  upon  labor,  and  no  other 
form  of  oppression  can  be  so  serious  and  hurtful  in  its 
consequences.  Here  we  behold  a  migiity  conflict  be- 
tween capital  and  labor.  Capital  nuxking  cruel  and 
unreasonable  exactions,  seeking  to  obtain  labor  for 
an  almost  starvation  pittance,  while  labor,  unequal  in 
the  struggle,  seeks  to  wrest  from  its  adversary  a  de- 
cent and  honorable  requitementfor  its  sweat.  Capital 
triumphs  and  labor  suffers.  Let  me  tell  you  to-day,  sir, 
and  I  would  have  the  capitalists  hear  me,  this  contest 
will  not  always  continue  thus.  Unless  a  spirit  of  jus- 
tice and  fair  dealing  shall  speedily  characterize  the 
treatment  of  the  poor  toilers  by  their  wealthy  em- 
ployers a  mighty  crash  will  come,  an  outburst  of  in- 
dignation in  revolution  that  will  render  the  bloody 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  195 

scenes  of  the  past  of  trivial  moment  in  comparison. 
The  elements  are  generating,  the  storm  clonds  are 
surely  gathering,  and  at  a  moment  when  least  ex- 
pected they  will  burst  upon  the  country  and  the  world 
in  proportions  only  equaled  by  the  fierceness  of  the 
conflict  and  its  bloody  issues.  Let  those  whom  it  con- 
cerns beware.     I  beseech  them,  beware  in  time. 

"  WiLBERFORCE." 
TECUMSEH. 

On  the  4th  day  of  August,  1882,  between  the  hours 
of  9  and  11  a.  m.,  came  the  following,  which  can  not 
fail  to  be  of  interest  to  all  who  feel  that  our  Indian 
policy  has  been  either  wrong  or  ineffective,  and  that 
the  Indians  have  not  been  rightly  treated.  The  elo- 
quent simplicity  of  the  communication  can  not  fail  to 
be  observed  : 

"  A  large  delegation  of  Indians  are  here  and  wish 
to  be  heard.  We  have  concluded  to  let  them  speak. 
I  will  write  what  their  leader  says  in  as  nearly  his 
own  words  as  possible.  Nettie,  the  Control^ 

"  We  come  to  speak  to  palefaces  at  Washington. 
Mc  talk  for  my  people — the  redfaces  in  the  hunting- 
grounds  in  the  Far  West  where  the  sun  goes  down. 
Poor  redfaces,  nearly  all  gone.  Paleface  kill  many 
and  drive  them  from  their  old  and  much  loved  hunt- 
ing grounds.  You  tell  them  to  go  on  reservation,  and 
the  big  father  at  Washington  take  good  care  of  them. 
They  go.  Big  chief  at  big  city  send  paleface  agents 
to  give  them  blankets,  ponies,  guns,  and  bread  to  eat. 
Paleface  agent  start  big  store  in  wigwam  and  cheat 
redface,  and  give  him  fii'e-water  to  make  him  mad 


196  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

and  crazy.  When  my  people  see  how  they  are  cheated 
they  get  mad,  and  put  on  war  paint  and  kill  much. 
Big  paleface  chief  say  to  blue-coat  warriors,  go  and 
kill  redface  and  make  them  come  back,  and  let  pale- 
face agent  swindle  much  more.  Nowthis  is  all  wrong, 
and  if  wrong,  why  not  make  wrong  right.  Redface 
only  handful,  paleface  mighty — like  the  leaves  on 
trees.  If  redface  mighty  and  paleface  weak,  how 
then  you  like  it  ?  You  then  like  redface  be  honest 
and  not  cheat,  and  do  as  big  preach  say  about  golden 
rule.  Me  no  like  you  give  my  people  fire-water  or 
guns.  Me  much  like  better  if  you  give  red  braves 
horses  and  plows,  and  build  school-houses  for  little 
papooses.  Teach  them  how  to  read  and  make  big 
scratch  (writings)  and  let  them  learn  other  papooses. 
Don't  cheat.  Put  paleface  clothes  on  redface,  es- 
pecially redface  papooses,  and  learn  them  how  to  build 
big  houses  and  how  to  raise  big  much  to  eat  and  sell. 
Then  soon  redface  no  more  like  hunting  ground,  but 
will  love  paleface  and  paleface  ways.  This  much  bet- 
ter than  kill.  Great  Spirit  no  like  paleface  to  kill 
redface  or  redface  kill  paleface.  All  die  soon  enough 
anyhow.  Upper  hunting  grounds  are  full  of  redfaced 
spirits,  and  they  all  feel  bad  and  sorry  for  redface  in 
your  land.  Me  no  talk  much  more.  Me  sorry — me 
could  cry.  Poor  redface  few — soon  all  be  gone.  Be 
good  to  few  left,  and  Great  Spirit  and  redfaced  spirits 
love  you  much.  Spirit  chiefs  Ouray  and  Black  Hawk 
and  many  more  are  here,  and  all  plead  for  their  peo- 
ple in  lower  hunting  grounds.  They  all  feel  much 
bad.  Good  bye,  chief  and  squaw.  Me  thank  much 
for  this  bie:  scratch.  Tecumseh." 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  197 


AN   UNKNOWN   SUICIDE. 

August  28,  1882,  the  following  was  received,  viz: 
"  I  lived  in  the  body  thirty-five  years  and  eight 
months.  I  went  out  by  my  own  liand  into  the  great 
beyond.  I  was  a  singularly  constituted  man,  and  a 
very  unfortunate  one.  Self-love  is  said  to  be  a  great 
ruling  passion,  but  I  never  loved  myself,  and  of  course 
could  not  be  expected  to  love  anybody  else.  My  par- 
ents were  in  no  way  assimilated  and  lived  very  un- 
happily together.  They  quarreled  and  wrangled  con- 
stantly, and  this  embodies  my  earliest  recollection 
when  a  child,  and  it  made  an  impression  upon  me 
from  the  influence  of  which  I  never  recovered.  They 
seemed  to  hate  each  other,  and!  was  created  and  grew 
up  under  the  same  influence  of  hate,  and  hate  accom- 
panied by  a  feeling  of  vengeance  and  revenge  became 
a  predominating  trait  of  my  character.  My  parents 
both  belonged  to  church,  and  I  have  seen  them  both 
shout  in  church  (they  were  Methodists)  and  go  home, 
quarrel  and  fight  for  hours  afterwards.  Father  would 
get  drunk  and  mother  would  eat  opium.  I  tell  you  this 
disgusted  me  with  religion,  and  I  concluded  it  was  all 
a  farce.  I  believed  death  ended  all,  and  that  religion 
was  either  a  delusion  or  downright  hypocrisy.  Be- 
sides I  had  a  very  delicate  and  feeble  physical  organ- 
ization which  made  me  more  morose  and  sullen. 
Melancholy  finally  seized  me  as  a  victim,  and  in  a 
moment  of  utter  despondency  I  blew  out  my  brains 
and  ended  life  in  the  body.  But  I  could  not  get  away 
from  life — death  I  found  to  be  but  the  commencement 
of  another  life,  and  I  had  made  the  great  blunder  and 
committed  the  foul  deed  of  taking  my  life  into  ray 


198  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

own  hands.  Seventy-seven  years  have  passed  since, 
and  the  terrible  shadow  of  the  act  of  suicide  still  hov- 
ers over  nie  and  gives  me  pain  and  anguish.  But 
thank  God,  I  begin  to  climb  up  the  mount  of  progres- 
sion— but  the  summit  is  still  far  away.  Oh,  people 
of  earth,  1  pray  you  become  not  the  suicide.  Wait 
with  patience  until  nature's  laws  calls  thee  hence. 
Remember  the  fate  of  the  suicide  is  terrible  and  hard 
to  overcome.  And  in  my  sad  history  fathers  and 
mothers  may  learn  an  instructive  and  profitable  les- 
son, for  my  father  and  mother  hav^e  suffered  more  than 
I.     Thanks  for  your  goodness.     Good  bye. 

"  A  Suicide." 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  199 


CHAPTER  XX. 

COMMUNICATIONS  FROM   THOMAS  PAINE,  MARGARET  FULLER, 
AND    THANKS    OF    SPIRITS. 

Aug.  31,  1882.  The  following  from  the  spirit  of 
Thomas  Paine,  on  capital  punishment,  was  received: 

"  I  am  here  to-da}-,  sir,  to  say  a  few  words  in  op- 
position to  capital  punishment.  What  is  the  argu- 
ment in  its  favor?  One  citizen  has  taken  the  life  of 
another  citizen,  and  you  say  he  has  thereby  forfeited 
liis  right  to  live.  From  whence  do  you  get  this  doctrine? 
Does  it  belong  to  and  is  it  a  reflex  of  your  boasted 
Christian  civilization  ?  The  Mosaic  law  demanded  an 
eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  but  is  this  the 
doctrine  of  Jesus,  the  assumed  founder  of  Christian- 
ity? If  you  think  so,  you  certainly  have  not  read 
him  attentively,  and  it  may  be  profitable  to  you  in 
considering  the  subject  to  read  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  as  recorded  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  Matthew, 
especially  the  thirty-eighth  and  thirty-ninth  verses. 

"  You  coolly  and  with  the  utmost  deliberation  usher 
these  imperfectly  developed  souls  out  of  one  life  into 
another,  thereby  ridding  yourselves  of  human  mon- 
sters and  fiends  by  sending  them  to  be  cares,  pests, 
and  annoyances  to  the  people  of  another  world.  And 
this  you  call  Chistian  charity,  benevolence,  and  fair 
dealing.  But  you  say  they  can  repent  before  they  are 
shuffled  oft'  by  the  hangman,  and  thus  be  saved.  If 
this  be  true,  the  best  service  you  can  render  all  vil- 
lains and  evil  disposed  persons  is  to  hang  them  as  the 


200  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

surest  means  of  saving  their  souls  in  heaven,  for  if 
they  arc  permitted  to  live  and  die  natural  deaths  the 
chances  are  that  they  will  never  repent,  and  all  con- 
sequently go  to  hell.  But  this  is  a  subterfuge.  It  is 
the  unholy  spirit  of  revenge  that  actuate  you,  and 
you  consider  not  the  victim's  good.  Certainly  heaven 
is  not  yearning  for  these  cutthroats  and  outlaws,  and 
hell,  according  to  orthodoxy,  is  already  crowded  and 
overpopulated.  One  man,  either  through  ungovern- 
able passion  or  malice  prepense,  takes  the  life  of  an- 
other. Now,  he  generally  has  some  real  or  imaginary 
grievance,  but  without  even  this  excuse  your  courts 
take  the  other  life,  just  as  if  one  wrong  justified  an- 
other. Your  plea  that  protection  to  society  demands 
this  course  is  untenable.  Is  it  true  that  no  adequate 
protection  can  be  afforded  except  by  judicial  murder? 
Would  not  the  confinement  of  the  culprit  subserve 
the  same  purpose,  with  the  additional  humane  advan- 
tage of  allowing  the  opportunity  to  reform  and  be- 
come better,  and  best  of  all,  to  let  the  voice  of  God, 
through  natural  law,  call  him  from  time  to  eternity. 
"  Christians  can  not  rise  up  to  the  sublime  altitude 
of  adapting,  in  practical  life,  the  ennobling  teachings 
of  the  Xazarene  including  love  and  forgiveness,  as  long 
as  they  believe  the  God  of  their  worship  to  be  a  vin- 
dictive and  passionate  being  full  of  spleen  and  ven- 
geance. To  believe  in  such  a  God  naturally  inspires 
the  effort  to  imitate  his  characteristics,  and  hence 
they  become  spiteful  and  vengeful,  and  in  favor  of 
taking  humaii  life  on  the  scaffold,  because  a  badly  or- 
ganized mortal  in  a  fit  of  rage  or  in  the  pursuit  of  re- 
venge for,  perhaps,  an  imaginary  wrong  done  him, 
slays  his  neighbor.     The  killing  of  one  man  by  an- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  201 

other  is  no  worse  than  judicial  murder,  and  both  are 
relics  of  barbarism  and  a  past  heathen  age,  and  you 
ought  to  have  done  with  them.  To-morrow,  Margaret 
Fuller  on  prayer.  Thomas  Paine." 

MARGARET    FULLER. 

Sept.  1,  1882,  came  the  following  writing  from  the 
spirit  of  Margaret  Fuller : 

"  True  prayer  is  the  yearning  of  the  soul  for  some- 
thing it  feels  the  need  of.  It  need  not  be  expressed 
in  silent  words  or  oral  declamation.  Every  aspiration 
is  in  the  true  sense  a  prayer.  Every  aspiration, 
though  silent,  has  its  potencies^  reaches  out  and  at- 
tracts its  kindred  spiritual  affinities.  If  your  soul- 
yearnings  and  aspirations  are  of  a  sordid  and  purely 
earthly  nature,  they  afiect  and  attract  corresponding 
influences  in  the  invisible  realm  of  being,  permeate 
your  soul  and  limit  it  to  that  sphere.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  your  aspirations  pertain  to  the  realm  of  the 
lofty  and  beautiful,  you  render  yourself  thereby  recep- 
tive to  the  grand  and  ennobling  influences  of  the  pure 
and  heavenly.  If  you  pray  for  riches  in  a  worldly 
sense  you  prepare  the  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual 
conditions  to  attract  the  spirit  misers  and  the  selfish. 
If  you  pray  for  spiritual  illumination  and  aspire  to 
moral  excellence,  you  bring  to  your  sphere  and  aid 
the  noble  and  unselfish  children  of  the  more  exalted 
spiritual  spheres.  If  you  meditate  a  wrong  deed  or 
action  you  Avill  be  succeessful  in  drawing  to  your  as- 
sistance those  unfortunates  of  the  spirit  world  who 
have  not  outgrown  the  tendencies,  inclinations,  and 
imperfections,  of  their  earthly  careers  and  conditions. 
Hence  the  very  great  importance  of  being  mindful  for 


202  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

what  you  pray.  The  spiritual  influences  that  you  at- 
tract and  which  thereb}^  become  associated  with  you, 
exert  a  powerful  influence  in  directing  your  footsteps, 
molding  your  actions,  and  in  the  construction  of  your 
spiritual  temple  in  the  new  life  just  before  you. 
Would  you  desire  the  companionship  of  spirit  pau- 
pers and  spirit  tramps,  become  one  yourself,  and  you 
may  depend  on  success.  Would  you  prefer  rather  to 
be  attended  by  good  and  noble  spirit  and  spiritual  in- 
fluences, aspire  to  be  good  and  noble  yourself,  and 
your  success  is  assured.  Of  one  thing  be  enlightened, 
your  spirit  attendants  during  your  mortal  journey 
will  be  no  worse  than  ^'ou  are  yourself.  It  isyourself 
that  prepares  the  conditions  and  not  they.  If  your 
actions  are  upright,  your  aspirations  noble,  and  your 
thoughts  elevated  toward  the  divine,  3'ou  thereby  ex-* 
ert  a  positive  repellant  power  that  no  evil  can  over- 
come, and  in  such  a  generated  atmosphere  an  evil 
influence  can  no  more  dwell  than  oil  can  mix  with 
water.  Bear  this  great  law  in  mind,  and  take  advan- 
tage of  it  and  you  are  safe  and  all  will  be  well.  Heed 
it  not  in  conduct  and  thought  and  it  will  rebound 
upon  you  with  damaging  effect. 

"  Hesitate  not  to  invite  undeveloped  spirits  to  your 
seances  if  your  purpose  be  to  benefit  them.  For  such 
a  motive  on  your  part  will  draw  around  you  the  en- 
circling influences  of  angels  and  the  divine  protecting 
love,  and  no  harm  can  befall  3"0u,  but  much  good  to 
the  poor  spiritual  wanderers  in  spiritual  darkness. 
They  must  be  lifted  up,  and  you  can  be  of  great  serv- 
ice as  auxiliaries  to  the  advanced  spirits  who  labor 
for  their  redemption.     By  such  a  course  you  are  pray- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  203 

ing  such  prayers  as  will  bring  upon  you  blessings  from 
the  angelic  spheres  Margaret  Fuller." 

At  the  same  sitting  came  the  following  closing  re- 
marks by  the  medium's  immediate  control : 

"  I  am  requested  to  state  that  with  this  ends  the 
present  book,  and  to  express  to  you,  Mr.  Helleberg, 
the  thanks  of  the  spirits  who  have  communicated  for 
your  attcntiveness,  painstaking,  and  honest  purposes. 
Tiie  band  of  the  medium  have  done  all  they  could  to 
assist  them  and  from  them  have  received  benedictions. 
Besides  it  has  been  a  labor  of  love  on  our  part  to  be, 
in  any  sense,  assistants  to  so  many  exalted  spirits. 

"  "We  also  thank  you  for  your  gentlemanly  deport- 
ment towards  our  medium,  and  for  the  earnest  and 
honest  interest  you  take  iu  her  welfare.  I  speak  for 
the  entire  baud.  Nettie,  the  Control." 


204  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


[APPENDIX.] 

CHAPTER  XXI.  , 

MRS,    green's   medial    HISTORY. 

The  following  is  a  partial  history  of  the  develop- 
ment and  mediumistic  expeinences  of  Mrs.  Lizzie  S. 
G-reen,  the  medium  chosen  by  the  spirits  in  transmit- 
ting the  matter  contained  in  this  volume  : 

She  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  on 
the  second  day  of  December,  1844,  and  consequently 
at  this  writing  is  in  her  thirty-eighth  year. 

The  following  narrative  of  her  mediumship  was 
written  by  her  husband,  dictated  by  herself,  and  when 
written  out  was  pronounced  by  her  to  be  correct,  and 
she  adopts  it  her  own.  It  is  believed  that  this  briefly 
recited  history  can  not  fail  to  be  interesting  to  the 
general  reader,  since  it  contains  matter  and  experi- 
ences not  only  absorbingly  interesting  but  truly  won- 
derful, and  evidences  the  existence  of  a  power  that 
all  thoughtful  and  candid  persons  will  agree  is  worthy 
of  investigation. 

Those  who  have  enjoyed  Mrs.  Green's  acquaintance 
socially  for  years  invariably  speak  of  her  as  a  truly 
honest  woman,  faithful  wife,  loving  mother,  steadfast 
friend,  in  intellectual  capacity  far  above  and  beyond 
her  educational  advantages,  and  as  possessed  of  many 
other  sterling  qualities  of  heart.  Those  who  have 
come  in  contact  with  her  in  the  exercise  of  her  me- 


^  ■ 


^ 


y>--^^L^^-7<^. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  205 

dial  gifts  can  not  fail  to  have  been  impressed  with  her 
frankness,  simplicity  of  character,  and  the  unques- 
tionable honesty  of  her  nature. 

This  tribute  to*  her  integrity  and  moral  worth  is 
given  because  well  merited,  and  by  one  who  not  de- 
siring notoriety  and  fame  wishes  simply  to  be  known 
as  A  Friend. 

NARRATIVE   OF   HER   MEDIUMSIIIP. 

"My  conscious  mediumship  began  in  the  fall  of 
1868.  It  commenced  by  the  opening  of  my  spiritual 
vision,  enabling  me  to  see  spirits,  scenes,  landscapes, 
etc.,  in  their  spirit  world.  When  in  the  proper  state 
or  condition  of  passivify  I  have  been  permitted  to  be- 
liold  innumerable  throngs  of  spirits,  and  at  times  to 
hear  their  voices.  The  phase  of  clairaudience  added 
to  my  clairvoyance  I  prized  highly,  and  sorel}'  regret 
that  shortly  afterwards  a  fit  of  sickness  deprived  me 
of  the  gift  of  hearing  spirit  voices,  and  for  a  time 
seriously  retarded  my  other  mediumistic  development. 
I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  state,  however,  that  with  my 
gradual  restoration  to  health  my  clairvoyant  percep- 
tions began  to  increase  in  power  and  beauty,  and  now 
the  voices  of  the  arisen  dear  ones  again  greet  my 
anxious  and  ever  attentive  ears. 

"  I  desire  to  state  in  this  connection  that  in  all  my 
intercourse  with  spirits  they  have  never  deceived  me 
in  a  single  isolated  instance.  They  have  always  been 
truthful  and  straightforward  in  their  statements  and 
dealings  with  me. 

"  In  the  earlier  stages  of  my  mediumship  and  still 
sometimes  I  was  frequently  controlled  to  personate 


206  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

the  peculiar  and  characteristic  idiosyncracies  of  spirits 
during  earth  life,  and  to  delineate  their  sickness  and 
death.  Sometimes  I  would  be  rendered  entirely  un- 
conscious and  at  other  times  only  partially  so.  I  shall 
never  forget  one  memorable  occasion  of  complete  un- 
consciousness and  the  occurrence  during  it  as  related 
subsequently  by  eye  witnesses.  An  old  lady  was  pres- 
ent in  the  circle  who  I  had  never  met  before,  and  of 
whose  history  I  had  no  means  of  obtaining  the  slight- 
est knowledge.  At  the  time  I  was  wholly  ignorant 
as  to  whether  she  had  ever  been  a  mother  or  the  ma- 
ternal head  of  a  family,  until  I  saw  and  described 
minutely  a  spirit  standing  by  her  side,  who  she  readily 
recognized  as  her  deceased  son.  '  What  was  the 
cause  of  his  death?'  she  eagerly  inquired.  Almost 
instantly  my  consciousness  was  suspended,  preceded 
by  a  violent  tremulous  motion  all  over  my  frame.  I 
fell  to  the  floor  in  a  violent  fit,  and  so  terrible  was  it, 
and  so  true  to  nature  in  all  its  terrible  details  that  no 
little  alarm  was  manifested  by  the  various  members 
of  the  circle.  It  thoroughly  demoralized  and  threw 
them  into  consternation.  I  need  only  add  that  old 
Mother  Thompson  (for  that  was  her  name)  has  never 
since  doubted  the  return  of  the  spirit  of  her  son 
George,  for  the  poor  man  had  not  only  suffered  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  from  that  appalling  affliction,  epilep- 
tic fits,  but  actually  died  in  one.  I  soon  recovered  my 
normal  condition  and  received  the  apology  from  the 
spirit  for  having  used  me  so  roughly,  stating  that  his 
extreme  anxiety  to  convince  his  beloved  mother  of 
his  presence  induced  him  to  disregard  delicacy  and  to 
overcome  all  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  purpose. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  207 

"  A  little  girl  came  to  me  on  a  certain  occasion  and 
said  to  mo,  '  Please  go  and  see  my  motherand  tell  her 
I  am  not  dead.'  '  Where  does  your  mother  live?  '  I 
inquired.  After  giving  me  the  necessary  directions 
where  and  how  to  find  her,  I  said :  '  But  your  mother 
is  a  stranger  to  me,  and  perhaps  if  I  go  to  her  on  an 
errand  of  that  kind  she  will  drive  me  from  her  door.' 
*  Xo  she  won't,'  interposed  the  little  pleader,  '  she  will 
be  glad  to  learn  that  I  am  not  under  the  cold  ground 
but  alive.'  I  marshaled  the  courage  to  go,  yet  I 
greatly  feared  the  result.  I  was  met  at  the  door  by 
the  one  I  desired  to  see,  and  without  giving  sufficient 
time  to  explain  the  object  of  my  call,  I  was  cordially 
welcomed  indoors.  After  being  seated,  and  after  the 
usual  courtesies  had  passed,  I  opened  the  subject  by 
saying,  '  You  have  a  little  girl  that  has  gone  to  the 
other  world  ?  '  '  Yes,'  said  she,  falling  into  tears, '  she 
was  a  dear,  darling  child,  and  I  have  had  no  rest  since 
she  left  me.  She  was  the  idol  of  my  heart,  and  it 
seems  that  I  can  never  become  reconciled  to  her  death. 
Really,  at  times,  I  can  scarcely  realize  that  she  is  dead.' 
Here  a  pause  ensued,  and  her  grief  was  so  intense 
that  the  waters  of  sympathetic  sorrow  involuntarily 
flowed  down  my  own  cheeks.  Rallying,  however,  as 
quickly  as  I  could,  I  said  :  '  My  good  woman,  your 
Mary  is  not  dead.  She  stands  there  by  your  side  and 
wants  me  to  say  to  you,  '  Mother,  I  am  not  dead  ;  do 
not  weep  for  me,  for  I  am  still  with  you.'  '  How  ! 
What  does  this  mean  ? '  exclaimed  the  mother  in  ap- 
parent bewilderment,  '  I  saw  her  poor  little  precious 
body  consigned  to  the  cold  aud  cheerless  grave.' 
*Yes,'  I  interrupted,  'but  her  spirit — the  immortal 
and  only  valuable  part  of  herself — was  not  buried  be- 


208  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

iieatli  the  ground.  Hold,  she  wishes  me  to  describe 
her,  and  further,  to  prove  her  identity.  She  is  a 
bright,  blue-eyed  girl  of  eleven  or  twelve  summers, 
light  auburn  hair  naturally  inclined  to  curl,  and  falls 
in  beautiful  ringlets  around  her  neck,  forehead  of  the 
Grecian  mold,  face  even  and  rounded,  with  a  mark 
resembling  a  raspberry  under  her  right  eye,  and  she 
died  from  scarlatina.'  '  Why,  did  you  know  Mary 
when  she  was  living  ? '  was  immediately  asked.  I  as- 
sured her  I  did  not.  'Does  the  description  fit  her?' 
I  inquired.  'Perfectly,'  was  the  reply;  'who  told 
you  about  her,'  she  added.  I  answered  :  "  My  good 
woman,  believe  me,  until  to-day  I  did  not  know  you 
were  in  existence.  The  facts  I  have  stated  to  you  I 
obtained  from  your  Mary  without  the  slightest  knowl- 
edge of  either  your  or  her  history.'  After  further 
conversation  on  the  subject,  and  after  describing  other 
spirits,  whom  she  readily  recognized,  the  interview 
terminated,  with  a  pressing  invitation  to  return,  and 
the  assurances  that  she  had  derived  from  my  visit  in- 
expressible joy  and  happiness.  In  a  few  days  there- 
after I  was  unexpectedly  called  away  from  St.  Louis 
and  have  never  returned.  Letters  from  friends  who 
were  cognizant  of  the  circumstance  as  related  by  her- 
self, inform  me  that  Mrs.  Collins  is  happy  in  the 
knowledge  of  spiritualism,  has  become  reconciled  to 
the  temporary  absence  as  to  physical  form  of  her 
child,  and  sends  me  her  benedictions. 

"  In  1869  while  holding  a  circle  at  Aurora,  Ind.,  com- 
posed of  a  few  intimate  friends  and  neighbors,  a  gen- 
tleman— a  stranger  to  all  of  us — applied  for  admission, 
stating  that  he  had  been  left  by  the  east  bound  train, 
and  not  being  able  to  resume  his  journey  until  the  fol- 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  209 

lowing  nioniiiig,  and  hearing  of  ray  mediumship,  he 
desired,  if  agreeable,  to  liave  a  sitting,  or  be  allowed 
to  join  tlie  circle  for  that  occasion.  My  husband  cor- 
dially assented.  Our  stranger  friend  had  been  seated 
but  a  short  time  when  I  saw  a  spirit  forming  by  his 
side.  I  watched  the  process,  and  to  my  utter  aston- 
islmient,  which  I  at  once  made  known,  the  spirit  had 
a  rope  around  his  neck  and  presented  a  frightful  ap- 
pearance. I  observed, '  I  see  a  spirit  with  a  rope  around 
his  neck,  with  tongue  protruding,'  etc.  '  Describe  him, 
madam,  if  you  please,'  spoke  the  stranger.  I  did  so; 
the  spirit  for  the  purpose  changing  his  appearance  to 
that  of  his  natural  condition.  The  stranger  became 
very  much  excited,  arose,  seized  his  hat,  and  nerv- 
ously remarked,  '  This  is  a  great  test  to  me.  Several 
years  ago  I  was  sheriff"  of  an  interior  county  in  Indiana, 
and  that  man,  Jim  Roberts,  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged 
for  the  murder  of  Ins  father-in-law,  and  I  am  the  one 
who  executed  the  sentence  of  the  court.'  When  in  the 
act  of  taking  his  departure,  he  suddenly  turned  around, 
and  plaintively  inquired :' Has  Jim  got  anything 
against  me?  I  only  did  my  duty  as  an  officer  of  the 
law.'  On  being  assured  that  no  ill  feeling  was  enter- 
tained by  the  spirit  against  liim,  1)ut  that  he  appeared 
as  he  did  more  for  the  purpose  of  a  test  than  anything 
else,  lie  took  his  departure.  I  have  never  seen  him 
since.  lie  gave  me,  however,  considerable  notoriety 
in  the  community  by  relating  his  wonderful  expe- 
rience with  a  spiritual  medium,  and  advised  everyone 
to  shun  mediums  unless  they  were  prepared  and  will- 
ing to  have  everything  connected  with  their  past  lives 
revealed  and  made  known.  Perhaps  this  abused  spirit- 
ualism may  yet  become  the  instrumentality  of  com- 


210  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

pelling  people  to  walk  uprightly  in  their  dealings  with 
their  fellowmen. 

"  These  are  a  few  among  hundreds  of  such  instances 
that  I  might  relate,  hut  the  space  allotted  will  not  per- 
mit. I  wish  now  briefly  to  refer  to  another  phase  of 
my  mediiimship.  At  various  intervals  I  have  had  pro-* 
phetic  warning,  and  prophetic  revelations  have  also 
been  given  me.  I  have  also  had  what  might  be  ap- 
propriately termed  panoramic  visions  of  past  events 
of  those  both  in  and  out  of  the  body,  and  of  events  to 
transpire  in  the  future  of  earth  life.  These  visions, 
especially  those  prognostic  of  the  future,  have  been 
truly  wonderful.  It  is  an  oft  quoted  saying  that '  com- 
ing events  cast  their  shadows  before,'  and  there  re- 
mains no  doubt  in  my  mind  but  what  spirits — whether 
all,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say — can  sufiiciently  forecast 
the  future  as  to  reveal  events  and  actions  concealed 
from  mortal  discernment  in  the  bosom  of  coming  time. 
Let  me  mention  a  few  instances  in  my  own  experience 
as  evidence  of  the  existence  of  this  power. 

"  In  1869,  myself  and  husband  were  holding  a  seance 
alone,  at  Aurora,  Ind.  We  were  living  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  city,  near  the  river  bank.  Aurora  is  sit- 
uated on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  river,  twenty-five 
miles  below  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  A  little  above  the  cen- 
ter of  the  city. fronting  the  river  a  small  stream,  called 
Ilogan  creek,  empties  into  the  Ohio.  Three  or  four! 
hundred  yards  above  the  junction  of  the  two  streams, 
and  on  the  banks  of  the  aforementioned  creek,  is  lo- 
cated the  mammoth  distillery,  owned  by  Messrs.  J.  &  J. 
"W.  Gaff  &  Co.  It  has  been  consumed  three  times  by  fire 
and  as  often  rebuilt.  At  the  time  of  which  I  am  speak- 
ing, we  put  blankets  up  to  the  windows  in  the  room  to  be 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  211 

used  for  our  dark  circle,  and  by  this  means  effectually 
excluded  all  external  light.     After  extinguishing  our 
lamp  light,  we  sat  patiently,  awaiting  manifestations. 
In  the  course  of  a  half  hour  I  saw  and  said,  '  I  see  a 
large  brick  building  on  fire.     The  light  from  its  as- 
cending flames  is  flooding  the  river  in  front  of  the  city. 
There,  I  see  a  poor  man  burning  up  in  the  fire.    I  see 
its  majestic  walls  crumbling  to  pieces  and  falling  into  a 
huge  mass  of  ruins.'     At  this  juncture,  we  heard  out 
doorsthe  cry  of  fire !  fire !  and  soon  the  bells  of  the  quiet 
little  city  began  to  announce  to  its  citizens  that  the  in- 
satiate fire-fiend  was  engaged  in  his  terrible  work  of  de- 
vastation and  ruin.    We  hastened  to  the  door  only  to 
behold,  true  to  the  mission  previously  given,  the  bosom 
of  the  river  as  brilliantly  lighted  up  as  though  illum- 
inated by  the  rays  of  the  sun  at  his  meridian  height. 
J.  &  J.W.  Gafi'&  Co.'s  distillery  was  on  fire  and  burned 
to  ruins,  and  another  concomitant  of  the  vision  was 
too  sadly  verified — a  man  was  literary  burned  to  ashes. 
"Soon  after  this  occurrence,  a  very  dear  lady  friend 
called  to  see  me.     She  contemplated  a  trip  to  Indian- 
apolis, and  intended  to  start  on  the  morrow  train.     I 
said  to  her, '  Do  not  start  to-morrow.    Defer  it  until  the 
succeeding  day.     I  see  an  accident  on  the  road,  and  I 
see  written  in  the  air  these  words, "  Withintwenty-four 
hours.' '    I  prevailed  on  her  to  postpone  the  trip  in  ac- 
cordance Avith  the  warning  of  the  vision.     She  had  no 
occasion  to  regret  it  for  the  train  on  which  she  in- 
tended to  be  a  passenger  jumped  the  track  before  it 
reached  its  destination,  and  while  no  one  was  very  se- 
riously injured,  yet  it  might  have  been  otherwise  had 
my  friend  been  on  board.     She  might  not  have  es- 
caped so  luckily. 


212  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

"  The  shocking  casualty  of  the  collision  between 
the  United  States  mail  steamers  America  and  the 
United  States,  on  the  Ohio  river,  between  Cincinnati 
and  Louisville,  will  be  well  remembered,  especially 
by  the  people  along  the  line  of  that  route.  The  night 
of  the  painful  occurrence  I  was  a  member  of  a  circle 
lield  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Lewis  Shirley,  of  Jefter- 
sonville,  Ind.  I  saw  the  collision,  the  boats  on  iire, 
etc.,  at  an  hour  antedating  by  several  hours  the  time 
when  the  unfortunate  event  transpired.  So  thor- 
oughly was  I  convinced  that  the  verification  of  the 
vision  was  close  at  hand  that  I  prevailed  on  a  son  of 
Mr.  Shirley  to  meet  the  carrier-boy  at  the  ferry  land- 
ing early  the  following  morning  to  procure  a  copy  of 
a  Louisville  daily  paper.  When  the  boy  returned 
with  the  paper  1  was  not  surprised  to  find  in  its  col- 
umns an  account  of  the  disaster,  which  I  had  plainly 
and  vividly  seen  a  number  of  hours  pi^iorto  its  actual 
occurrence. 

"  On  another  occasion  I  saw  a  fire  raging.  I  saw 
it  was  a  two-story  brick  house.  I  saw  men  rolling 
barrels  out  of  the  burning  structure,  and  from  the 
rapidity  of  their  movements  and  the  ease  and  facility 
with  which  the  barrels  seemed  to  be  handled  and  pro- 
pelled along,  I  concluded  they  were  empty  and  so  ex- 
pressed myself.  My  husband  inquired,  '  Where  is  the 
fire  at  ? '  I  placed  myself  in  as  passive  a  state  as  pos- 
sible, but  could  get  no  answer.  The  questions  were 
then  asked :  '  Is  it  Louisville  ? '  '  ^o.'  '  Is  it  JefFer- 
sonville  ? '  '  :N"o.'  '  New  Albany  ? '  '  I^o.'  '  Indian- 
apolis?' 'Yes.'  These  answers  respectively  I  saw 
written   in  the  air  or  what  appeared  so  to  me.     On 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS,  213 

that  night,  as  we  learned  by  the  papers  subsequently, 
a  large  barrel  factory  at  Indianapolis  was  destroyed 
by  fi  re. 

"  I  will  now  relate  one  of  a  more  startling  nature 
and  of  more  recent  occurrence.  The  ill-fated  steamer 
Pat  Eogers  wa^s  at  the  time  of  her  destruction  in  the 
mail  line  service,  and  plied  between  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  Louisville,  Kentucky.  She  left  port  Louisville 
for  Cincinnati  at  2  p.  m.  At  4  o'clock,  same  afternoon, 
and  two  hours  after  her  departure  from  Louisville, 
and  nine  or  ten  hours  before  the  terrible  casualty,  I 
saw  written  in  the  air,  '  Steamboat  disaster  to-night.' 
My  husband  remarked:  '  See  if  you  can  not  get  the 
name  of  the  boat.'  Presently  I  saw  plainly  the  name 
]~*AT  Rogers,  Avliich  was  immediately  followed  by  pre- 
senting the  whole  vision,  the  conflagration,  and  pas- 
sengers struggling  for  life  amid  the  angry  and  turbu- 
lent waves. 

"I  might  narrate  manj^more  instances  of  this  kind 
that  belong  to  my  individual  experience,  and  volumes 
might  be  written  if  similar  experiences  of  others 
should  be  included. 

"  I  come  now  to  speak  of  my  present  powers  and 
their  development.  When  my  husband  had  entered 
upon  his  second  term  as  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Aurora, 
he  built  us  a  home  in  a  high  altitude  on  a  hillside 
overlooking  the  beautiful  city  in  the  valley  below. 
Here  in  the  purer  atmosphere  with  quiet  surround- 
ings were  my  present  powers  brought  forth  by  a  noble 
and  trusty  baud  of  spirits  whom  I  shall  never  cease 
to  love  for  their  fidelity  to  me  and  to  truth,  and  for 
their  ability  and  unceasing  and  intelligent  efibrts  to 
advance  the  great  and  blessed  cause  of  spiritualism. 


i 


214  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

My  dear  spirit  sister,  Alice  Yernette  "Winesburgh  nee 
Shirley,  who,  in  her  day,  was  a  marvelous  physical 
medium,  has  been  and  still  is  the  active  controlling 
spirit  of  my  band,  with  others  great  and  good,  who 
sustain  and  aid  her.  She  always  signs  her  name  sim- 
ply Nettie,  by  which  she  was  called  and  known  in 
earth  life.  She  has  clung  to  me  with  the  true  devo- 
tion of  a  sister,  and  has  sustained  herself  in  the  posi- 
tion assigned  her  by  the  band  with  signal  fidelity  and 
ability.  I  shall  speak  more  of  this  band  toward  the 
close. 

"  In  obedience  to  the  request  of  the  spirits  we 
formed  a  circle  for  development,  and  found  two  gen- 
tlemen and  their  wives  who  were  sufficiently  liberal, 
and  who  had  natural  tendencies  toward  a  belief  in 
spiritualism.  They  agreed  and  we  met  twice  each 
week,  and  it  was  not  long  before  we  discovered  that 
power  for  physical  manifestations  was  being  devel- 
oped. We  sat  in  the  dark  around  an  ordinary  plain 
stand,  on  which  was  placed  a  slate  and  pencil,  a  small 
bell,  and  a  paper  horn.  "We  also  would  place  on.it  a 
goblet  filled  with  water.  The  manifestations  began 
by  the  stand  moving  around  and  tipping.  This  phe- 
nomenon soon  occurred  in  the  light,  and  by  means 
of  it  we  at  first  were  directed  and  instructed,  using 
the  alphabet  in  spelling  out  words.  We  met  regu- 
larly and  sat  patiently.  For  a  few  months  the  devel- 
opment was  slow  but  surely  indicated  progress,  and 
the  invisible  operators  continually  exhorted  us  to  pa- 
tience, promising  certain  results  from  time  to  time, 
which  they  invariably  performed.  They  stated  to  us 
what  may  not  be  generally  known,  namely,  that  all 
developments  with  a  view  to  permanence  are  slow, 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  215 

advancing  cautiously,  step  by  step,  leaving  nothing 
neglected  or  unoared  for.  Besides  the  health  and 
well  being  of  the  medium  should  be  carefully  guarded 
and  too  oft  by  hurrying  forward  the  development 
ruinous  consequences  resulted  to  the  instrument  and 
the  success  of  the  mediumship.  We  soon  noted  the 
fact  that  we  were  in  the  hands  of  careful,  prudent,  and 
able  spirits,  and  we  therefore  implicitly  obeyed  their 
directions,  and  have  never  since  had  any  occasion  to 
regret  it.  Finally  the  bell  began  to  ring,  and  the  vari- 
ous members  of  the  circle  were  touched  by  material- 
ized spirit  hands.  Also,  names  and  words  wei:e  writ- 
ten ou  the  slate  and  occasionally  materialized  locks  of 
hair  would  be  found  on  the  stand  upon  closing  the 
seance,  which,  in  a  few  hours,  would  wholly  demate- 
rialize.  This  indicated  materialization  of  spirit  forms 
and  was  so  announced  to  us.  The  next  step  was  whis- 
pering to  us  through  the  paper  trumpet,  and  by  that 
means  they  were  now  enabled  to  give  directions. 
After  the  lapse  of  about  twelve  months  we  were  di- 
rected to  procure  a  curtain  for  materialization,  which 
we  accordingly  did,  but  before  this  the  manifestations 
in  the  dark  had  become  simply  remarkable,  not  to 
say  extraordinary.  On  putting  up  the  curtain  and 
taking  my  position  behind  it,  several  sittings  passed 
without  any  appreciable  result,  until  finally  faces  were 
discovered  protruding  from  behind  and  above  the  cur- 
tain, two  or  three  at  a  time,  and  after  this  it  was  not 
long  until  full  form  materializations  were  obtained. 
Upon  the  expiration  of  my  husband's  term  of  office, 
the  band  insisted  that  we  should  move  to  Cincinnati, 
if  only  for  a  year,  assigning  as  the  important  reason, 
that  they  would  be  enabled  there  to  collect  and  ap- 


216  SPmiT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

propriate  new  elements  necessary  in  tlio  conipletion 
of  the  development.  We  liiid  by  this  time  learned 
that  the  wisest  thing  Avas  to  obey,  and  conseqnently 
in  July,  1881,  we  moved  to  the  Q-neen  City.  Soon 
after  we  got  there  the  band  concluded  to  abandon  for 
the  time  being  any  further  attempt  to  perfect  the 
phase  of  materialization  and  demanded  a  tin  trumpet, 
which  was  made  according  to  their  directions.  In 
length,  thirty-eight  inches  ;  at  large  end,  four  and 
one-half  inches  in  diameter,  and  at  the  small  opening 
one-half  inch;  and  we  commenced  holding  trumpet 
seances  with  amazing  and  astonishing  results.  Hun- 
dreds of  the  best  citizens  of  Cincinnati  can  testily  to 
the  wonders  of  the  trumpet  circle  in  my  presence. 
One  seance  written  np  Judge  A.  G.  W.  Carter,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, I  here  insert  as  illustrating  partialh^  <^uly  the 
magnitude  of  this  power.  It  a|)peared  iu  that  excel- 
lent paper.  Mind  a/iid  Matter,  of  Philadelphia: 

"  My  wife  and  myself,  by  invitation,  were  present  on 
Thursday  night,  January  26th,  at  a  seance  given  to  a 
select  circle  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Green,  at  jSTo.  309  Longworth  street,  this  city,  where 
Mrs.  Green  daily  and  nightly  sits,  giving  private 
seances  through  her  mediumship  to  any  person  or  per- 
sons who  desire  to  converse  with  the  spirits,  or  see 
manifestations,  and  learn  about  the  spirit  world. 
There  were  about  twelve  persons,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, present,  and  being  seated  according  to  the  direc- 
tion of  the  spirits,  a  dark  circle  for  spirit  manifesta- 
tions was  held,  and  with  extraordinary  success.  There 
was  a  large  trumpet  or  horn  standing  beside  the  table, 
and  a  small  music  box  and  a  guitar  and  a  tambourine 
on  the  table. 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  217 

"It  was  not  long  before  the  music  box  beg-an  its 
music,  as  well  as  the  guitar  and  tambourine,  and  they 
all  floated  through  the  air,  around  the  circle,  and  above 
our  heads,  and  sometimes  touching  each  one  of  the 
circle,  as  they  were  giving  forth  their  music.  Singing 
was  indulged  in  by  the  members  of  the  circle,  and  dur- 
ing the  songs,  the  long  horn  or  trumpet  moved  from 
its  place,  and  went  about  the  circle,  through  the  air; 
and  through  it,  or  inside  of  it,  different  spirits  accom- 
panied the  singing  with  their  voices;  sometimes  so 
loudly  as  to  take  the  full  burden  of  the  songs  upon 
themselves.  Then,  when  there  was  a  cessation  of  sing- 
ing, by  means  of  the  trumpet  the  spirits  would  freely 
converse  with  us — some  in  whispers,  and  others  in  so- 
norous voices,  so  that  the  whole  company  could  readily 
hear  and  easily  distinguish  what  was  said. 

"At  one  time  one  of  the  company,  a  Swede,  Mr. 
Helleberg,  sang  a  Swedish  song,  accompanying  himr 
self  on  the  guitar;  and  in  singing  and  playing  this  song 
in  his  native  and,  to  us,  foreign  language,  he  was  ac- 
companied by  a  loud  female  voice,  singing  in  his  lan- 
guage, through  this  same  horn.  Mr.  Helleberg  then 
sang  a  Swedish  love  song,  and  was  again,  in  perfect 
soprano  harmony,  accompanied  by  the  female  spirit 
voice. 

"  These  demonstrations  I  thought  were  most  remark- 
able, as  I  had  never  seen  nor  heard  the  like  before,  and 
they  fairly  attested  the  great  mediumistic  ability  of 
Mrs.  Green.  At  this  time,  and  indeed  during  the 
whole  seance,  Mrs.  Green  was  in  a  profound  trance  at 
the  table,  and  kept  so  by  a  rough  and  gruff  Indian 
spirit,  who  called  himself  '  Chip,'  and  occasionally 
spoke  to  us  iu  a  rough  and  gruff  way  about  his  '  medy,' 


218  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

and  the  power  he  had  to  invoke  and  exercise  in  keep- 
ing her  in  the  profound  trance  condition.  Ever  and 
anon,  also,  a  smart,  Avitty  and  talkative  Indian  maiden, 
who  called  herself  'Winnie,'  hj  the  permission  and 
condescension  of '  Chip,'  would  take  possession  of  the 
medium,  and  talk  most  freely  and  interestingly  to  each 
and  all  of  the  members  of  the  circle. 

"  And,  by  the  way,  I  must  relate  this  peculiar  and 
remarkable  fact,  the  only  time  of  its  occurrence  in  all 
my  long  experience  with  the  spirits.  There  was  in 
the  circle  another  trance  medium,  Mrs.  Taylor,  who 
was  put  into  the  trance  condition  very  easily  and 
readily.  Well,  this  spirit  'Winnie'  would  exchange 
from  Mrs.  Green  to  Mrs.  Taylor  every  once  in  a  while, 
talking  through  each  medium  with  equal  facility,  and 
to  the  great  delight  and  edification  of  the  members  of 
the  circle.  This  was  indeed  something  remarkable, 
and  I  ventured  to  inquire  of  the  spirit '  Winnie  '  if  this 
was  a  common  occurrence.  She  replied,  through  one 
of  the  mediums,  that  it  was  so  uncommon  that  she 
never  knew  of  it  occurring  at  a  circle  sitting  before; 
that  spirits  always  had  their  own  medium,  and  it  was 
very  seldom  that  they  would  or  could  talk  through, 
more  than  one  chosen  medium,  and  especially  at  the 
Same  sitting  of  a  circle,  as  was  the  case  with  us. 

"  To  narrate  all  that  occurred  at  this  remarkable 
seance  would  fill  many  printed  columns.  Sufiicient  for 
the  present  to  say,  that  we  had  all  sorts  of  manifesta- 
tions from  the  spirits  through  the  gifted  medium,  Mrs. 
Green,  for  the  long  period  of  three  full  hours,  and  yet 
the  medium  or  the  spirits  were  not  at  all  exhausted, 
and  apparently  not  even  fatigued.  The  manifestations, 
it  seems  to  me,  were  quite  equal  to  any  I  ever  witnessed 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  219 

from  Maud  Lord,  or  any  of  the  best  mediums,  and  con- 
vinced me  beyond  all  manner  of  doubt,  that  the  gifted 
Mrs.  Lizzie  S.  Green  is  destined  to  take  a  prominent 
and  important  stand  in  the  glorious  domain  of  me- 
diumship.  Angels  bless  and  take  care  of  lier  in  all  her 
ways.  A.  G.W.  C." 

"In  the  meantime,  the  independent  slate  writing 
progressed  wonderfully,  and  now  constitutes  one  of  my 
best  and  most  highly  cherished  phases.  They  write 
now  with  the  utmost  facility  with  their  own  material- 
ized hands,  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  they  have  act- 
ually written  without  the  presence  of  any  visible  pen- 
cil at  all.  They  have  written  long  messages  on  the 
inner  surfaces  of  double  slates,  the  parties  holding  on 
to  them  at  the  time  the  messages  were  being  written. 
They  have  done  this  for  me  in  the  presence  of  C.  G, 
Helleberg,  John  Winterburn  and  William  Layton, 
and  others,  honorable  people  of  Cincinnati,  who  will 
take  great  pleasure  in  certifying  to  the  same.  I  do  not 
refer  to  these  truly  marvelous  things  in  a  spirit  of  ego- 
tism or  self-boasting,  for  I  am  entitled  to  no  credit  ex- 
cept in  so  far  as  I  may  have,  by  prudent  conduct,  hon- 
est living  and  carefulness,  assisted  in  securing  the 
proper  conditions  for  the  invisible  intelligences — I 
mean  invisible  to  mortal  eyes  only.  While  I  naturally 
feel  proud  of  these  noble  gifts,  I  have  learned  to  be 
humble  with  them,  as  my  spirit  guides  have  so  often 
admonished  me  to  be.  And  I  feel  like  using  them 
for  the  benefit  of  humanity  and  the  upbuilding  of 
truth. 

"  My  clairvoyance  was  an  early  and  permanent  de- 


220  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

velopment  and  still  remains  with  me,  the  other  devel- 
opment not  seeming  to  materially  interfere  with  it 

"  I  have  had  with  me  for  many  years  two  Indian 
spirits,  from  whose  association  I  have  derived  great 
pleasure ;  and  I  have  ever  found  them  true,  faithful 
and  honest.  The  male  Indian  has  never  given  me  his 
full  and  proper  name,  telling  me  that  it  was  ugly.  lie 
was  of  the  Chippewa  tribe,  and  has  always  been  known 
as  '  Chip.'  Chip  abhors  fire-water  and  tobacco,  and 
every  thing  immoral,  and  in  very  many  respects  widely 
differs  from  the  leading  characteristics  of  his  people. 
The  Indian  maiden,  whom  we  call  Winnie,  came  to 
me  in  1868,  and  gave  her  name  as  Winniepesaga,  and 
said  while  quite  young  she  was  drowned  in  a  stream 
of  water  in  the  Far  West.  She  is  sprightly,  quite  talk- 
ative, exceedingly  smart  and  interesting  in  conversa- 
tion. Naturally  gifted  with  clairvoyant  powers  and 
prophetic  abilities,  she  has  given  very  many  remarka- 
ble tests,  and  by  reason  of  her  equability  of  temper, 
general  good  disposition  and  real  cleverness  in  collo- 
quial gifts,  she  is  generally  well  liked  by  all  who  have 
come  in  contact  with  her  spirit  ministrations.  She  has 
controlled  me  for  years,  does  yet,  and  her  influence  is 
sweet,  soothing  and  strengthening.  Captain  Oliver  C. 
Curry  died  at  Jefferson ville,  Ind.,  in  1874,  and  was  a 
lawyer  by  profession,  and  was  for  a  long  time  city  at- 
torney ot  that  city.  lie  was  a  cousin  of  mine,  and  \\:\s 
belonged  to  the  band  for  two  years,  and  has  been  ex- 
ceedingly active,  especially  in  the  trumpet  seances.  By 
his  suavity,  intelligence  and  witty  sayings,  he  has  made 
himself  quite  a  favorite  with  many.  Assisting  in  the 
development,  I  Imve  had  with  me  several  spii'its  fa- 
miliar with  the  laws  of  science,  including  a  distin- 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  221 

giiished  French  scientist,  our  own  Franklin  and 
Professor  Mapes.  They  seem  to  have  only  l)een  en- 
gaged Avith  the  baud  temporarily  in  aiding  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  development.  They  have  my  sin- 
cere thanks  and  profound  gratitude.  I  come  now  to 
speak  of  another  spirit,  although  of  an  humble  name, 
yet  a  grand  and  highly  progressed  one,  who  has  been 
my  leading  counsellor,  adviser  and  friend.  In  1868, 
I  laid  away  the  lifeless  form  of  a  dear  little  boy,  and 
in  my  unutterable  grief  this  noble  spirit  iirst  appeared 
to  me  and  gave  me  words  of  consolation.  He  has  been 
with  me  ever  since.  He  passed  out  of  the  form  in  the 
State  of  Georgia  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-three  and 
had  been  at  the  time  he  came  to  me  upwards  of  fifty 
years  in  spirit  life.  lie  always  inspires  me  as  being 
the  very  embodiment  of  purity  itself,  and  his  whole 
ambition  seems  to  be  to  do  good.  This  spirit  also  pos- 
sesses wonderful  prophetic  power,  and  communicates 
with  me  only  in  case  of  an  exigency,  when  I  am  in 
trouble,  or  otherwise  need  the  sustaining  and  guiding 
power  of  the  angel  world.  He  gives  me  his  name  as 
Henry  Teaney,  and  no  Christian  ever  worshiped  the 
gentle  ISTazarene  with  more  devotion  than  I  do  my 
friend  and  guide,  Henry  Teane3\  He  is  pure,  noble 
and  godlike,  loves  the  right,  hates  the  wrong,  and 
never  condescends  to  any  thing  little,  hateful,  or 
mean. 

"  Here  I  close  after  again  returning  thanks  from 
the  inmost  recesses  of  my  heart  to  my  honored  and 
noble  band  of  spirits  engaged  with  and  through  me 
in  the  great  work  of  advancing  the  kingdom  of  God 
in  the  assimilation  of  truths  vouchsafed  to  the  chil- 
dren of  earth  through  spirit  communion. 


222  BPIKIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 


CHAPTER  XXTI. 

A  VISIT  TO  SPLIT  ROCK,  KENTUCKY — CHRISTMAS  GREET- 
INGS FROM  IDA  TO  HER  PARENTS — ANNIE  WINTERBURN 
TO  HER  BROTHER  JOHN  WINTERBURN,  AND  HIS  TESTI- 
MONY AND  HER  FAREWELL  TO  THE   MEDIUM,  MRS.    GREEN. 

Mrs.  Green's  home  proper,  is  at  Aurora,  Dearborn 
county,  Indiana.  Aurora  is  a  beautiful  and  enter- 
prising little  city  of  live  or  six  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  is  located  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Ohio  river, 
twenty-five  miles  or  thereabouts  below  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  It  can  be  reached  from  Cincinnati  in  less  than 
an  hour's  ride  over  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  railroad, 
which  passes  through  it.  While  her  husband  pursues 
the  legal  profession  at  Aurora,  Mrs.  G.,  in  obedience 
to  the  wishes  of  her  spirit  guides  and  attendants,  de- 
votes her  time  and  medial  gifts  at  Cincinnati  from 
Monday  until  Saturday  of  each  w^eek,  returning  to 
her  companion  and  daughter  each  Saturday,  and  re- 
maining with  them  over  the  Sabbath.  This  statement 
is  deemed  proper  in  view  of  and  as  prefatory  to  what 
I  am  about  to  relate  as  occurring  recently,  and  which - 
can  not  fail  to  be  estimated  as  a  truly  remarkable 
spirit  manifestation. 

By  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Green,  Mr.  Edwin  Steb- 
bins,  of  Cincinnati,  and  myself  accompanied  Mrs. 
Green  to  her  home  at  A  urora  on  Saturday,  August 
the  5th,  for  the  purpose  of  joining  a  small  party  of 
excursionists  on  the  day  following  to  the  celebratedN 
Split  Rock,  some  three  miles  down  the  river  from 
Aurora,  on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  Ohio.     Our  host 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  223 

had  chartered  a  small  propeller  steamboat  known  as 
the  Wave,  which  we  boarded  early  Sunday  morning 
(the  6th),  and  it  required  less  than  a  half  hour  to  land 
us  at  our  destination.  Our  party  consisted  of  our 
host  and  hostess  and  their  daughter,  Cora  B.  Green  ; 
Mr.  B.  F.  Vandegrift,  his  wife,  three  daughters  and 
son  ;  James  "W.  Shirley,  wife,  and  two  small  children. 
During  the  afternoon  we  were  threatened  with  a 
rain-storm,  and  our  party  divided,  some  going  into 
the  caves  for  shelter,  others  repaired  to  a  farm-house 
near  by.  The  rain  passed  around  us,  after  which  a 
party  of  five  in  number,  namely,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vandegrift,  and  myself,  reassembled  on 
the  summit  of  the  elevation  overlooking  the  Split 
Rock.  It  was  suggested  by  me  that  we  have  a  spirit 
seance,  but  we  had  no  stand,  slate  or  pencil.  The 
novelty  of  a  spirit  seance  on  that  noted  spot  was  suf- 
ficiently suggestive  and  interesting  to  induce  us  to 
improvise  a  seat  for  the  medium,  which  consisted  of 
a  couple  of  stakes  driven  into  the  ground  and  a  fence 
rail  placed  on  them.  I  took  out  my  annotation  book 
and  with  lead  pencil  placed  it  on  Mrs.  G.'s  lap,  and 
she  threw  over  them  a  rubber  circular,  making  the 
necessary  condition  of  darkness.  We  formed  a  semi- 
circle in  front  of  the  medium  thus  seated,  and  sang 
the  "  Sweet  Bye  and  Bye,"  and  "  I^Tearer  My  God  to 
Thee."  In  a  few  moments  the  covering  over  the 
writing  material  was  raised  up  and  down  three  times, 
indicating  thereby  that  the  writing  had  been  accom- 
plished. In  this  way  we  received  in  rapid  succession 
three  communications,  which  I  hereby  transcribe  and 
number  them  in  the  order  of  their  production. 


224  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


Number  One. 

"  Good  afternoon.  'N'ice  picnic.  Many  spirits  with 
you,  including  Madam  Ehrenborg  and  Swedenborg. 
Nettie,  Emil,  and  Ida  send  much  love  to  Mr.  Helle- 
berg  and  Mr.  Stebbins." 

Number  Two. 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vandegrift's  friends  send  their  greet- 
ings from  summer  land.  Also,  Mr.  Green's  friends 
and  relatives.     All  happy  to  be  with  you." 

Number  Three. 

"  God  bless  you  all,  and  hope  we  may  all  meet  on 
this  spot  again.    Good  bye.        J^ettie  and  Curry." 

We  were  not  only  delighted  but  enthusiastic  over 
the  success  of  our  enterprise.  Here  on  this  spot,  both 
romantic  and  famous  in  history,  with  illy-provided 
conditions,  we  had  communed  with  the  loved  ones 
from  the  land  of  immortal  souls. 

As  the  spirit  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stebbins, 
of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  is  mentioned  as  belonging  to  the 
party  of  tourists  that  visited  the  planet  Mars,  and  as 
communicating  with  others  at  Split  Rock,. Kentucky, 
and  for  other  good  reasons,  I  have  deemed  it  not  in- 
appropriate to  incorporate  herein  a  letter  of  Mr.  Steb- 
bins to  the  Spiritual  Offering,  a  paper  recently  estab- 
lished at  Ottumwa,Iowa,  and  which  is  ably  conducted 
and  devoted  to  the  advancement  of  spiritualism. 


SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS.  226 

[For  the  "  Spiritual  Oflfering."] 
INDEPENDENT   SLATE   WRITING, 
BY 
EDWIN    STEBBINS. 

On  Christmas  evening  myself  and  wife  secured  an 
independent  slate-writing  sitting  with  Mrs.  Lizzie  S. 
Green,  at  309Longworth  street,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
we  received  the  following  communication  from  our 
dear  spirit  daughter,  viz  : 

"Merry,  merry  Christmas  to  you  all!  I  do  not 
know  of  a  better  Christmas  gift  than  to  give  you  a 
epirit  communication  on  this  memorable  day.  I  am 
so  happy  and  excited  I  can  not  write  good.  Oh,  I 
have  a  beautiful  home  and  am  advanci  ig  in  music  all 
the  time.  I  have  a  beautiful  library  of  books.  I  am 
a  teacher,  and  have  a  nice  little  class.  We  do  not 
have  as  many  scholars  here  in  the  spirit  world  as  you 
do.  We  can  not  teach  every  one  like  we  did  here. 
We  have  to  be  attracted  to  each  other  magnetically. 
Therefore  our  work  is  not  in  vain,  for  by  this  method 
spiritual  growth  must  ensue.  We  work  in  harmony 
together,  and  nothing  occurs  to  retard  our  progress 
in  learning.  You  would  be  surprised,  and  I  rather 
think  you  are  now,  even  at  my  style  of  composition. 
If  you  could  see  me  as  I  am  here,  and  hear  me  talk, 
you  would  see  how  fast  I  have  progressed.  Oh,  how 
happy  I  am  in  my  spirit  home,  but  my  heaven  is  not 
there.  It  is  with  my  dear  pa  and  ma,  but  duty  calls 
and  I  must  obey.  I  have  been  made  extremely  happy 
by  your  obedience  to  my  will  and  all  will  be  well. 
Henney  says  this  is  quite  new  to  him,  but  when  he 


226  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

saw  you  and  me  at  his  funeral  liis  happiness  was  he- 
yond  expression.  When  you  laid  away  my  form  of 
clay  you  did  not  think  to  see  me  here  to  talk  and 
write  to  my  loved  ones  dear. 

"  When  you're  sad  and  sometimes  cry, 
Remember  your  Ida,  dear,  is  nigh, 
To  bless  and  comfort  you  while  here, 
And  guide  you  to  a  brighter  sphere. 

"  And  when  the  time  comes  for  you  to  go  we  will 
meet  you  with  our  golden  boat,  and  row  you  safely 
over  the  beautiful  river  to  our  home  that  I  have 
helped  prepare  for  you.  Now,  thanking  Mrs.  Green 
for  her  kindness  to  you  and  Ida,  I  bid  you  good  night. 
All  the  relatives  are  here,  and  send  you  their  Christ- 
mas greetings. 

"  Good  night,  good  night,  to  all  that's  here, 
I  leave  and  go  to  a  brighter  sphere. 

Wishing  you  all  success  in  the  new  year,  dear  pa 
and  ma,  ever  hold  sacred  the  Christmas  gift  I  present 
you  to-day.  Good  night,  Mr.  Green,  wife  and  daugh- 
ter. Good  night,  my  dear  pa  and  ma.  This  indeed 
is  the  happiest  Christmas  I  have  spent  since  I  left  my 
earthly  home.  I  must  leave,  but  it  is  hard.  Your 
loving  daughter,  Ida." 

"  My  daughter  passed  away  on  the  18th  day  of  De- 
cember, 1875,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  she  was  an 
only  child.  The  above  message  from  her  possesses 
peculiar  value  to  me,  for  therein  are  a  number  of  val- 
uable tests  and  evidences  of  her  identity.  My  belief 
in  the  return  of  the  spirits  of  the  departed  is  of  brief 
duration  in  point  of  time  antecedent,  and  was  mainly 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  227 

brought    about    through    the   mcdiumship   of    Mrs. 
Greeu.     I  can  not  express  the  real  happiness  I  enjoy 
since  Ihave  been  the  recipient  of  this  new  light  divine 
and  I  can  only  say,  *  God  speed  the  good  work.' 
"  Cincinnati,  Ohio."  \ 

ANNIE   WINTERBURN. 

^^Dear  Brother :  Oh,  how  happy  I  am  to-day  to  be  able 
to  write  you  on  the  inner  surface  of  a  double  slate  with 
your  own  precious  hands  holding  it  with  the  medium. 
You  did  not  need  this  as  a  test,  for  your  mind  is  clear 
and  your  heart  is  in  the  cause,  but  we  give  it  to  you 
because  others  have  been  thus  favored,  and  we  have 
resolved  that  you  shall  not  be  neglected  when  the  good 
things  pertaining  to  spirit  intercourse  are  being  given 
to  others.  Oh,  John,  you  do  give  us  so  much  real  hap- 
piness by  your  noble  and  upright  conduct,  and  by  the 
opportunities  you  give  us  to  hold  sweet  communion 
with  you.  Thus  our  lives  become  interblended,  and 
the  happiness  of  all  increased.  Spirits  do  derive  great 
benefit  from  mortals,  and  to  that  extent  are  depend- 
ent on  them.  When  a  child  dies  in  the  tender  years 
of  infancy  unschooled  in  the  multifarious  concern- 
ments of  mortal  life,  it*  is  brought  back  into  contact 
with  human  afiairs  that  it  may  learn  those  experiences 
of  earth  which  were  denied  it  by  its  early  and  untimely 
departure  from  the  form.  In  all  the  pursuits  of  your 
life  each  individual  is  constantly  attended  by  spirits 
interested  in  the  same,  and  in  these  and  many  other 
ways  are  spirits  aided  in  their  progress  and  happiness. 
"Whenever  and  by  whomsoever  you  are  told  differently 
heed  it  not,  but  rely  on  what  I  have  stated.  We  are 
interested  in  your  proper  instruction,  and  we  will  not 


228  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATICNS. 

lead  joii  astray  or  into  error.  All  those  near  and  dear 
to  you  are  here,  and  bid  rae  to  send  you  their  love 
greetings  They  pray  without  ceasing  that  ycu  rnay 
be  kept  steady  and  firm  in  your  high  resolves  and  ncble 
purposes  until  the  end,  when  3'ou  shall  rejoice  in  the 
anthem  of  victory.  Hold  up  your  head,  dear  and  pre- 
cious brother;  be  brave  and  resolute  in  the  hour  of 
temptation.  Do  no  harm,  but  all  the  good  you  can  in 
the  world.  And  when  the  blessed  angel  called  Death 
shall  beckon  you  away  from  the  labors  and  vicissitudes 
of  mortal  life  to  the  sunlit  evergreen  shores  of  the  sum- 
mer land,  be  assured  that  among  the  hosts  of  others 
who  will  meet  and  welcome  you  with  happy  and  re- 
joicing hearts  you  will  see  and  be  enfolded  lovingly  in 
the  arms  of  your  loving  sister,  Annie."' 

"I,  John  Wiuterburn,  resident  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
do  hereby  certify  that  the  above  and  foregoing  com- 
munication from  my  spirit  sister  came  in  the  manner, 
to  wit :  I  examined  a  double  slate,  and  found  it  clean 
and  without  any  writing  whatever  upon  it.  A  small 
piece  of  slate  pencil  not  larger  than  a  grain  of  wheat 
was  placed  upon  it  and  the  slate  closed.  I  then  held 
on  to  one  side  of  the  slate,  holding  it  tight  together  as 
folded,  and  the  medium,  Mrs.  Green,  held  on  to  the 
other  side.  Soon  we  heard  writing,  and  in  the  course  of 
fifteen  minutes  the  signal  was  given  indicating  that 
the  writing  was  completed,  whereupon  the  slate  was 
opened,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  inner,  surfaces  was 
found,  neatly  written,  the  above  communication.  The 
t's  were  crossed,  and  the  i's  were  dotted.  I  know, 
as  well  as  I  am  capable  of  knowing  any  fact  requiring 
the  exercise  of  my  senses  in  their  normal  state,  that 


SPIBIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  229 

the  communication  was  written  by  invisible  power, 
and  I  firmly  believe  it  comes  from  the  source  it  pur- 
ports to  come,  namely:  my  clear  sister,  now  in  spirit 
life.  The  seance  was  in  broad  daylight,  and  under 
circumstances  that  precluded  fraud  or  deception  on  the 
part  of  the  medium  or  any  one  else  in  the  body. 

"John  Wintfrburn,  185  Longworth  street." 

"  This  same  Mr.  Wintorburn  has  had  regularly  one 
sitting  a  week  with  Mrs.  Green  for  seven  or  eight 
months,  and  among  other  spirit  relatives  and  friends 
who  were  active  in  communicating  with  him  was  his 
spirit  sister  Annie.  She  seems  to  possess  considerable 
poetic  ability,  and  occasionally  wrote  poetry  to  her 
brother.  Recently  Mr.  Winterburn  visited  his  mother 
countr\',  England,  and  the  last  sitting  with  Mrs.  G. 
before  his  departure,  his  sister  Annie  addressed  the 
medium  in  the  following  feeling  stanzas,  which  Mr. 
Winterburn  copied  as  they  came  on  the  slate,  viz : 

"  Dear  medium  friend,  both  good  and  true, 
'Tis  hard  that  we  must  part  from  you, 
And  though  we  cross  the  surging  main, 
We  will  return  to  j'ou  again. 

"  Returning  with  our  spirits'  love  and  power 
From  Britisli  isle  or  sunlit  bovver, 
Our  fond  hearts'  loving  blessings  to  impart 
To  comfort  and  cheer  your  noble  heart. 

"  Dear  brother's  heart  you  have  made  glad, 
Dispersing  sorrow  and  conditions  sad; 
And  where'er  we  roam,  on  land  or  sea, 
Our  hearts  shall  turn  in  love  to  thee. 

"  Farewell,  dear  medium  friend,  farewell, 
To  thee  our  gratitude  we  ne'er  can  tell, 


230 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 


1 


We  can  only  say  heart's  full  of  love, 
We'll  meet  you  on  the  shores  above. 

"  And  there,  in  that  bright  land  of  joy, 
Where  mingles  naught  of  earth's  alloy, 
We'll  lead  thy  steps  with  blessings  rare 
To  our  homes  above  our  joys  to  share, 

"  Angels  of  light,  refulgent  bright, 
Be  with  you  when  you  take  you  flight 
From  scenes  of  strife  and  sorrows  here 
To  a  just  reward  in  a  higher  sphere. 

"  Farewell,  farewell,  alas !  farewell. 
The  parting  is  like  a  funereal  knell; 
But  when  you  climb  the  golden  stair. 
Your  true  friend,  Annie,  will  meet  you  there." 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  231 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

a  spirit  peels  a  bonana,  and  eats  some  of  it,  and 
divides  the  rest  in  four  equal  parts — reports  of 
cincinnati  enquirer  about  spirit  seances  at  mrs. 
green's. 

I  desire  to  speak  of  a  recent  manifestation,  which 
baffles  my  ability  to  niKlerstand,  and  proves  that  spirits 
by  some  chemical  process  are  enabled  to  operate  upon 
material  substances  and  cause  them  to  vanish.  I  only 
give  one  instance,  and  leave  the  reader  to  his  own  re- 
flections and  to  adopt  his  own  theory.  I  shall  simply 
give  the  fact  as  it  occurred. 

I  have  a  little  grand  daughter,  Julia  Muth,  in  the 
spirit  world.  When  in  the  form  she  was  partially  fond 
of  bananas.  On  the  occasion  of  the  recent  anniversary 
of  her  eighth  birthday,  the  13th  of  July,  1882,  I  went 
to  Mrs.  Green  for  a  seance,  taking  with  me  a  large 
banana.  These  slate-writing  seances,  as  has  been  here- 
tofore explained,  take  place  in  the  full  light.  I  sat, 
as  usual,  opposite  to  Mrs.  Green,  with  the  small  stand 
between  us.  I  placed  the  fruit  on  a  slate,  with  a  short 
letter  of  greeting,  and  put  it  under  the  covering  of  the 
stand,  while  Mrs.  Green  held  another  slate  of  her  own. 
The  spirits,  after  writing  on  Mrs.  Green's  slate  for 
about  an  hour,  wrote  as  follows :  "  Grandpa,  take  your 
slate  from  under  the  stand,"  which  I  immediately  did, 
and  on  the  slate  was  written,  "  I  peeled  the  banana, 
and  ate  some  of  it,  too;  your  little  Julia  Muth." 

AYe  removed  the  cloth  covering  from  the  stand  and 


232  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

found  the  peelings  on  the  floor,  and  on  my  slate  the 
banana  divided  in  four  equal  parts  after  the  end  piece 
had  disappeared.  "We  searched  diligently,  but  with- 
out our  effort  being  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  the 
missing  portion  of  the  fruit.    Whither  had  it  gone? 

The  Cincinnati  Daily  Enquirer  is  a  leading  as  well  as 
an  extensively  circulated  paper,  published  at  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  and,  in  October,  1881,  Mrs.  Green  was  vis- 
ited by  a  reporter  of  that  paper,  who  was  present  at 
two  of  her  trumpet  seances.  Although  probably  not 
a  believer,  he  turned  out  to  be  a  fair  minded  man  who 
would  not  allow  his  prejudices,  if  he  had  any,  to  inter- 
fere with  an  honest  account  of  what  he  saw  and  wit- 
nessed. In  three  issues  of  that  paper,  to  wit,  October 
16th,  18th  and  21st,  1881,  appeared  his  report  of  a  visit 
to  Mrs.  Green,  and  two  seances  he  attended.  They 
are  here  iuserted,  in  the  order  of  the  dates  given. 

Issue  of  October  16th  : 

"  In  a  neatly  furnished  suit  of  rooms  over  Xo.  309 
Longworth  street  lives  Mrs.  L.  S.  Green,  a  spiritualist 
medium.  Upon  her  last  evening  a  representative  of 
the  Enquirer  called.  He  was  cordially  received  by  the 
lady's  husband,  being  tendered  a  seat  in  a  parlor  in 
which  was  a  piano,  a  pretty  set  of  furniture;  while  an 
old-fashioned  kerosene  lamp  threw  its  brightest  rays 
over  the  room  from  a  mantel-piece.  Seated  in  a  rock- 
ing-chair was  Mrs.  Green,  plainly  dressed,  of  a  modest 
and  retiring  disposition,  and  features  that  stamped  her 
as  a  faithful  and  loving  wife.  The  mission  of  the  news- 
paper man  was  quickly  explained.  Her  husband  re- 
plied that  as  a  rule  mediums  avoided  reporters,  as  they 
were  liable  to  distort  and  ridicule  their  statements. 
Eut  where  the  thing  is  conducted  honestly  and  openly, 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  233 

'1  can  not,'  lie  said,  'see  wliat  we  liave  to  fear  from 
publication.' 

"  In  reply  to  a  question,  Mrs.  Green  said  that  she  was 
about  thirty-eight  years  old,  and  had  been  a  clairvoy- 
ant since  1868,  her  first  mediumistic  inclinations  hav- 
ing developed  that  year.  Her  history  since  that  time 
as  a  spiritualist  has  been  quite  full  of  interest.  Pre- 
vious to  her  becoming  a  medium  she  was  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Church,  and  was  as  great  a  skeptic  as 
one  could  find.  So,  in  fact,  was  her  husband.  While 
a  member  of  the  Indiana  Legislature  in  1867  he  at- 
tended a  seance,  whore  he  received  a  message  from  his 
dead  mother.  At  a  subsequent  one,  another  spiritual 
letter  came  to  him,  telling  him  that  his  wife  possessed 
the  powers  of  a  medium,  and  asking  him  to  bring  her 
to  one  of  the  circles.  After  some  persuasion  he  finally 
gained  her  consent -to  go.  She  there  saw  her  first 
spirits,  that  of  an  uncle  of  the  medium  of  the  assem- 
blage, who  had  his  head  cut  off  by  a  train  of  cars. 
From  that  time  her  powers  began  to  develop,  showing 
themselves  in  messages  that  she  wrote  on  paper  or  be- 
held in  the  air.  Spirits  as  high  as  five  hundred  a  day 
presented  themselves  to  her  view.  Her  continued  in- 
crease as  a  medium  so  worked  upon  her  that  she  lost 
her  health,  and  she  was  compelled  for  the  time  being 
to  abandon  the  business.  About  twelve  months  ago- 
she  resumed  her  writing — this  time  on  slates.  Mes- 
sages were  written  on  the  inside  of  folded  slates,  and 
often,  after  a  seance,  a  fluid  would  be  found  on  the  out- 
side of  the  slate,  which,  unless  washed  off  then,  could 
never  be  removed.  This  had  been  taken  to  chemist 
after  chemist  for  analysis,  and  one  and  all  had  failed 
to  make  any  thing  out  of  it. 


234  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

"  One  evening  a  small  lock  of  hair  was  found  in  the 
corner  of  the  slate,  in  the  center  of  which  was  a  small 
lead  pencil.  At  that  time  this  was  believed  to  have 
been  placed  there  by  some  one  in  the  circle.  It  was 
folded  in  a  jnece  of  paper  to  be  retained,  but  the  next 
day  it  disappeared.  From  this  time  out  Mrs.  Green's 
materializing  abilities  began.  She  had  great  success 
in  her  seances,  and  frequently  described  catastrophes 
which,  on  the  following  morning,  were  found  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly accurate.  She  foreshadowed  the  explosion 
of  the  steamer  Pat  Rogers,  and  graphically  described 
the  collision  of  the  United  States  with  the  America. 
The  details  of  a  fire  at  a  neighboring  place  one  even- 
ing were  recited  by  her.  The  next  day  it  was  learned 
that  the  hour  and  facts  were  most  wonderfully  correct. 

"  While  the  reporter  and  his  friend  were  talking 
Mrs.  Green  called  their  attention  to  two  spirits  who 
were  standing  besides  them,  one  a  brother-in-law  of 
the  first-named,  and  the  other  a  friend  of  the  latter 
who  died  twelve  years  ago.  Both  were  accurately  de- 
scribed, much  to  the  surprise  and  astonishment  of  the 
two  skeptics.  Mrs.  Green,  in  explaining  her  power, 
said  that  she  was  entirely  controlled  by  one  spirit,  and 
that  when  she  first  began  to  work  it  was  shown  by 
slaps  on  the  hand,  by  shocks  in  her  arms,  etc.  She  did 
only  as  her  influence  compelled  her  to  act,  and  while 
writing,  etc.,  she  knew  not  what  she  did,  much  to  the 
surprise  and  astonishment  of  the  two  skeptics.  Many 
startling  results  of  seances  were  recited,  such  as  the 
sounding  of  trumpets,  the  ringing  of  bells,  singing,  and 
the  appearance  of  dift'erent  spirits  were  detailed." 

Insertion  of  October  18th  : 

"Mrs.  L.  S.  Green,  the  medium,  gave  a  seance  last 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  235 

evening  to  a  few  friends  at  her  house,  No.  309  Long- 
worth  street.  There  were  five  people  present,  three  of 
whom  wore  skeptics  of  the  worst  kind.  The  gather- 
ing was  seated  in  a  medium-sized,  i)lainly-furnished 
room.  In  the  center  was  a  small  stand,  over  which 
was  placed  a  heavy  green  spread.  As  an  opening,  the 
lady  took  a  small  slate  upon  which  was  laid  a  hit  of 
slate  pencil.  This  she  held  with  one  hand  in  under 
the  table,  and  several  messages  were  written  on  it  in 
a  clear  and  distinct  hand.  Then  the  cloth  was  removed, 
and  on  the  table  were  placed  a  bell,  two  slates,  washed 
clean,  a  glass  of  water,  and  a  leather  trumpet.  At 
some  distance  from  the  medium  stood  a  guitar,  lean- 
ing against  the  wall,  and  a  large  trumpet,  while  near 
the  newspaper  man  were  two  small  trumpets.  The 
light  was  then  extinguished,  the  doors  locked,  and  the 
seance  begun.  All  took  hold  of  hands,  and  one  of  the 
party  sang.  In  a  few  minutes  came  a  gentle  tapping 
on  the  slates,  then  the  bell  rang  violently,  seeming  to 
pass  through  air,  returning  and  falling  on  the  floor. 
The  various  members  were  touched  about  the  face  and 
body,  and  one  exceedingly  lady-like  spirit  took  occa- 
sion to  rub  her  hand  down  the  reporter's  face,  testing 
fully  the  power  of  his  nervous  system.  Singing  was 
continued,  when  the  guitar  was  heard  to  play,  rising 
in  the  air,  apparently  passing  around  over  the  different 
persons'  heads,  hitting  them  lightly  in  the  face,  and 
finally  landing  in  the  reportorial  lap. 

"  A  breathing  spell  was  taken  when  one  of  the  party 
varied  the  programme  with  a  selection  upon  the  or- 
gamina.  The  favorite  old  song,  '  John  Brown,'  was 
given,  and  it  pleased  the  spirits  hugely,  as  a  deep  bass 
voice  was  heard  to  join  in  with  an  occasional  blast 


236  SPIRIT    COMMUNICATIONS. 

from  tlie  trumpet.  Then  the  trumpet  took  a  trip 
arouud  the  circle,  aunouucing  its  coming  with  a  rap 
ou  the  liead  or  shoulders  of  each  one.  The  bell  rose 
in  the  air  tingling  rapidly  and  landed  this  time  on  the 
table.  The  familiar  taps  on  the  person  were  con- 
tinued, then  there  was  a  tremendous  note  from  the 
trumpet,  and  a  s^weet  voice  joined  in  with  Mrs.  Green, 
as  she  sang,  '  I^^earer  My  God  to  Thee.'  Although 
the  manifestations  were  (juite  good,  especially  to  the 
reporter,  who  was  continually  dodging  imaginary 
trumpets  and  blows,  the  medium  said  the  weather  was 
bad  for  the  most  satisfactory  work.  The  spirits  an- 
nounced that  they  were  about  ready  to  depart  by  a 
loud  rap  on  the  table  and  a  sprinkling  of  those  pres- 
ent with  water.  The  light  being  turned  ou,  the  fol- 
lowing communication  was  found  on  one  of  the  slates : 

"  '  Good  evening,  gentlemen.  We  are  glad  to  meet 
you.  The  spirit  band  of  the  medium  authorize  and 
request  me  to  thank  the  representative  of  that  great 
metropolitan  jouriuil,  the  Enquirer,  for  the  terms  em- 
ployed in  reference  to  their  medium  and  her  gifts  in 
yesterday's  issue  of  that  paper.  This  treatment,  so 
rare,  betokens  a  spirit  of  candor  and  fairness  com- 
mensurate with  this  transcendently  important  subject. 
We  extend  you  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  us  when- 
ever and  as  often  as  it  suits  your  convenience,  and  we 
shall  always  endeavor  to  treat  you  with  courtesy  and 
respect.  Nettie.' 

"  The  lines  were  very  regular,  the  i's  and  t's  are 
dotted,  and  the  signature  was  especially  plain,  it  being 
the  name  of  one  of  Mrs.  Green's  controls." 

The  third  and  last  appeared  in  the  issue  of  October 
21st,  and  is  as  follows : 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  237 

"  QUITE   INTERESTING — A    SEANCE    HELD    LAST    EVENING 

SKEPTICS   AND   BELIEVEHS    ASSEMBLE   TOGETHER. 

"A  very  interesting  seance  was  held  last  evening 
at  the  residence  of  Mrs.  L.  S.  Green,  309  Longworth 
street.  Seven  persons  were  present,  including  two 
mediums.  The  spirits  were  unusually  frisky,  and  the 
manifestations  were  particularly  gratifying  to  the  be- 
lievers, and  rather  dumbfounding  to  the  skeptics. 
The  arrangements  and  room  were  the  same  as  in  the 
others  previously  described,  except  that  there  w^ere 
more  musicians  present.  Very  excellent  music  was 
rendered  by  an  orgamina,  a  violin,  a  guitar,  and  a 
music-box.  The  selections  given  were  sweet  enough 
to  summon  the  most  bashful  friends  of  the  medium 
from  their  spiritualistic  retreat.  The  departed  were 
less  inclined  to  epistolary  efforts,  and  slate-writing 
was  not  conducted  with  any  favorable  results. 

"During  the  evening  one  of  the  gentlemen  sang  a 
Swedish  song,  accompanying  himself  on  the  guitar. 
A  female  voice  at  one  time,  and  a  powerful  bass  later, 
were  heard  plainly  in  concert  with  him.  The  human 
singer  alleged  quite  emphatically  that  his  spiritual 
aids  rendered  the  air  in  the  same  language  he  did. 
The  guitar  took  numerous  trips  around  the  room, 
sometimes  high  in  the  air,  again  touching  those  pres- 
ent on  the  head  and  different  parts  of  the  body.  A 
huge  tin  trumpet  was  blown  most  furiously,  the  blast 
sounding  like  the  greatest  effort  of  the  bass-horn. 
Then  it  was  pounded  and  thumped,  creating  a  most 
awful  din.  This  was  explained  as  being  the  doings 
of  a  very  powerfully  materialized  spirit.     The  state- 


238  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

ment  was  acquiesced  in  by  'i  skeptic,  who  received  a 
vigorous  whack  on  tlie  knee,  fully  convincing  him 
that  muscle,  lots  of  it,  too,  backed  the  trumpet 

"  A  little  music-box  was  taken  from  the  table  and 
wafted  through  the  room,  playing  its  peculiarly  sweet 
airs  all  the  time  as  it  sailed  toward  the  ceiling  and 
over  those  about  the  table.  It  could  be  heard  in 
every  corner,  high  and  low,  and  if  a  medium  or  friend 
was  carrying  it,  said  person  must  have  been  exceed- 
ingly lively,  climbing  over  chairs,  a  bed,  etc.,  without 
making  any  noise.  It  was  claimed  that  when  the  box 
ran  down  it  was  wound  up  by  those  who  took  it 
through  the  air. 

"  Whenever  songs  were  sung,  or  selections  were 
played  upon  the  instruments,  soprano  or  bass  voices 
joined  in  plain  to  all  present.  Members  were  deli- 
cately touched  in  the  face  and  bod3\  The  tolling  of 
a  great  bell  was  most  cleverly  imitated,  and  a  little 
one  was  rung  frequently.  The  spirits  of  loved  ones 
were  reported  as  standing  at  the  sides  of  different 
members,  some  of  whom  were  quickly  recognized  by 
the  description  given.  Water  was  sprinkled  on  all, 
and  the  goblet  filled  with  this  fluid  was  passed  around, 
touching  some  in  the  face,  others  on  the  body.  No 
communications  were  received  except  very  brief  ones." 


SPIR  T   COMMUNICATIONS.  239 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  EACH  OF  TWO  FUNERAL  DISCOURSES  BY 
BISHOP  SIMPSON  AND  REV.  W.  H.  THOMAS,  D.  D.,  WITH 
CONCLUSIONS   OF    C.    G.    HELLEBERG. 

In  closing  it  has  been  deemed  advisable  and  proper 
to  append  an  extract  from  each  of  two  funeral  dis- 
courses delivered  by  two  eminent  divines — one  the 
eminent  Methodist  Bishop,  Mr.  Simpson,  and  the 
other  a  distinguished  minister  of  Chicago,  who,  of 
late,  experienced  some  little  annoyance  from  hisflock, 
who  were  mere  sticklers  for  forms  and  creeds,  and  be- 
cause their  shepherd  had  grown  a  little  beyond  their 
cramped  and  narrow  limits. 

BISHOP   SIMPSON. 

"  The  very  grave  itself  is  a  passage  into  the  beauti- 
ful.and  glorious.  We  have  laid  our  friends  in  the 
grave,  but  they  are  around  us.  The  little  children 
that  sat  upon  our  knee,  into  whose  eyes  we  looked 
with  love,  whose  little  hands  have  clasped  our  neck, 
on  whose  cheek  we  have  imprinted  the  kiss,  we  can 
almost  feel  the  throbbing  of  their  hearts  to-day.  They 
have  passed  from  us,  but  where  are  they?  Just  be- 
yong  the  line  of  the  invisible.  And  the  fathers  and 
mothers  who  educated  us,  that  directed  and  comforted 
us,  where  are  they  but  just  beyond  the  line  of  the  in- 
visible? The  associates  of  our  lives  that  Avalked  along 
life's  pathway,  those  with  whom  we  took  sweet  coun- 


240  SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS. 

scl  and  who  dropped  from  our  side,  where  are  they 
but  just  beyond  us?  not  far  away;  but  now  it  may 
be  very  near  us.  Is  tliere  any  thing  to  alarm  us  ia 
this  thouglit  ?  ^o.  It  seems  to  me  that  sometimes 
when  my  licad  is  on  the  pillow  there  come  whispers 
as  of  joy  that  drop  into  my  heart — tlioughts  of  the 
sublime  and  beautiful  and  glorious,  as  though  some 
angel's  w-ing  passed  over  my  brow,  and  some  dear  one 
sat  by  my  pillow  and  communed  with  ray  heart  to 
raise  my  affections  to  the  other  and  better  world.  The 
invisible  is  not  dark,  it  is  glorious.  Sometimes  the 
veil  becomes  so  thin  it  seems  to  me  that  I  can  almost 
see  the  bright  forms  through  it,  and  my  bending  ear 
can  almost  hear  the  voices  of  those  who  are  singing 
their  melodious  strains.  Oh, there  is  music  all  around 
us,  though  in  the  busy  scenes  of  life  we  recognize  it 
not.  The  veil  of  the  future  will  soon  be  lifted  and 
the  invisible  shall  appear." 

REV.    W.    H.    THOMAS-,   D.    D.,    OF    CHICAGO. 

"  How  can  we  linger  over  the  bier  of  the  departed 
and  go  in  the  eventide  of  their  graves,  and  sit  down 
in  the  stillness  there,  hoping  in  some  way  to  come  in 
communion  with  them.  They  carry  their  loves  over 
to  the  other  side,  and  is  it  unreasonable  to  suppose 
that  a  mother  who  has  passed  from  these  shores  should 
still  seek  to  be  the  guardian  angel  of  the  children  she 
watched  over  in  this  life  ?  Is  it  unreasonable  that  the 
great  hosts  of  life,  column  on  column,  world  on  world, 
that  have  gone  out  from  this  state,  should  seek  to 
come  with  their  higher  wisdom  and  tenderer  sympa- 
thy to  minister  to  those  they  loved  in  this  life,  and 
help  them  to  cling  to  the  truth  tliat.  saves  ?     To  me 


SPIRIT   COMMUNICATIONS.  241 

this  doctrine  of  the  spirit  life,  the  eminence  and  pres- 
ence of  lielping  and  guiding  spirits  is  a  comforting 
thought.  It  brings  me  into  the  presence  of  the  in- 
numerable host  that  people  the  spirit  land.  It  gives 
me  somehow  a  consciousness  of  the  great  fact  of  im- 
mortality. It  gives  me  a  sweet  consciousness  that  my 
friends  live  on  the  other  shore;  that  to  me  they  will 
come  as  ministering  angels  in  the  dying  hour  to  re- 
ceive the  spirit,  tired  by  work,  weakened  by  sickness, 
wearied  with  years,  pale  from  death,  and  bear  it  to 
the  love  and  life  above." 

If  these  utterances  are  not  in  harmony  with  spirit- 
ualism, and  its  central  and  prominent  idea  of  the  very 
nearness  of  our  spirit  friends  and  the  spirit  world, 
then  I  am  wholly  incapable  of  recognizing  and  under- 
standing the  forceof  plain  and  direct  language.  They 
can  have  but  one  meaning,  and  that  in  perfect  ac- 
cordance with  spiritualism. 

I  find  these  extracts  published  in  the  Auburn  Ad- 
vertiser, of  New  York,  from  which  I  copied  them. 
There  they  arc ;  read  them  carefully,  and  then  pro- 
pound the  question  to  your  own  heart  and  intelli- 
gence, namely:  AYhat  does  all  this  mean  if  spiritual- 
ism be  false  ?  And  if  spiritualism  be  true,  how  can 
these  men  and  those  holding  similar  views,  oppose 
spiritualism  and  be  consistent  and  maintain  their  self- 
respect?  C.  G.  Helleberg, 


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